KEY POINTS:
A Hungarian tourist claims he was drugged then raped - possibly at knifepoint - by the 69-year-old man he is accused of killing.
Ferdinand Ambach, 29, appeared in the Auckland District Court yesterday charged with murdering Onehunga salesman Ronald James Brown. Mr Brown was found beaten in his Matiere Rd unit on December 8.
He died in hospital two days later.
Ambach, a dive master and biology student, withdrew a bail application.
His lawyer, James Faleauto, said Ambach should be held in custody while police checked his history, after the Herald gave police details of his alleged offending in Hungary.
Ambach - who arrived in New Zealand a few weeks ago on a tourist visa - said he met Mr Brown on the evening of December 7 at 306 Bar in Onehunga Mall, where they drank before going to Mr Brown's flat.
They continued drinking there before Mr Brown began making sexual advances. Mr Brown allegedly went upstairs and urged Ambach to join him. Ambach tried to leave the house but became confused and his memory became blurry.
He later recalled standing semi-naked and calling for help after he'd been chased by Mr Brown.
"He remembered grabbing a knife Mr Brown was holding against his body and cutting his hand on it," Mr Faleauto told the court.
He said after the hearing that he wanted the public to reserve their judgment.
"This may not be a case of a homicidal Hungarian but a man who has been the victim of a sexual predator."
A court order prevents publication of images of Ambach.
But Mr Brown's family yesterday struck back at the allegations.
"My family have become very distressed over the past few days at the level of misinformation and inaccuracies being reported by some media about my uncle and his lifestyle," niece Tracey Evans said.
"Uncle Ron was much loved by all of us and is greatly missed by his family and large group of friends. We are all devastated by his violent assault and subsequent death."
Police opposed bail for Ambach because he was a flight risk and might hold other passports and have access to significant funds overseas.
Mr Faleauto told the court he intended to have Ambach seen by a psychiatrist to help recover his memory of events.
He said he was grateful police were taking Ambach's claims seriously enough to have taken a blood sample.
Asked how Ambach was coping, Mr Faleauto said he wanted to be out of jail and was anxious.
Ambach looked upset when told through an interpreter he would spend the next month in jail.
The Herald revealed that Ambach is wanted in connection with an international tax fraud in Hungary involving luxury cars.
