Murder accused drove over partner

A mother-of-two was run over twice by a car driven by her partner after she gave him the finger when told to get into the vehicle during a roadside argument, a jury has heard.

Georgina Manuel was following her father George on foot, near the intersection of Pukepoto Rd and Bonnett Rd in Kaitaia, on the night of August 20, 2013 when she was allegedly struck.

Viliami Fungavaka, 47, has denied murdering her and a five-week trial before a jury of six women and six men began in the High Court at Whangarei yesterday.

He is facing an alternate charge of manslaughter.

Fungavaka's defence is what happened to Ms Manuel was an accident rather than a murderous intent on his part to kill her.

A Tongan interpreter sat next to him in the dock, to translate court proceedings.

Crown prosecutor Bernadette O'Connor told the jury Fungavaka ran over Ms Manuel twice with his Holden Commodore before driving off, leaving her to the mercy of people in the area, who rang emergency services and protected her.

Ms Manuel was rushed to Kaitaia Hospital in a St John ambulance, which attended to a 111 call from Doubtless Bay, before she was flown to Whangarei Hospital.

She died at 4.49am the next day, from multiple blunt force trauma injuries.

Ms O'Connor said the relationship between Fungavaka and Ms Manuel had been violent, aggressive and angry.

On August 20, 2013, she said, Fungavaka, Ms Manuel and her sister were drinking with others at their mother's house on Williams St in Kaitaia.

Ms O'Connor said those present witnessed Fungavaka and Ms Manuel arguing, including an incident when he dragged her down a footpath and another occasion when he said he would "smash" her after she punched him.

Later that night, Ms Manuel refused to hop in the car driven by Fungavaka while walking along Pukepoto Rd behind her father.

Ms O'Connor said that at one stage she walked in front of the car, gave him the finger and said: "F*** off.

"Leave us alone."

Fungavaka then revved up the car engine, hit her, did a u-turn and ran her over for a second time, she said.

On the day Ms Manuel died, a friend of Fungavaka took him to Whangarei police station, where he was interviewed.

He told a detective she ran towards the car on the first occasion and he did not see her the second time.

Ms O'Connor said Fungavaka had bumped Ms Manuel with a car on another occasion prior to August 20, 2013, before the keys were taken off him.

In his short opening address to the jury, defence lawyer Greg Bradford said the trial was about what happened on a dark night on Pukepoto Rd.

"This was an accident. Pure and simple. It's not murder as the Crown alleges," he said.

Mr Bradford pointed to Fungavaka's statement to police that he would not have run her over if he had seen her on the road.

The Crown's first witness was John Walker, a nurse at Kaitaia Hospital, who attended to Ms Manuel before St John paramedics arrived.

He said Ms Manuel seemed to be unconscious, bled spontaneously, and had several injuries that included a wound on her left forehead, partial amputation of her right foot above the ankle, and black marks about six inches wide on her abdomen.

The trial before Justice John Faire continues.