Māngere car-fall death: Manslaughter trial begins for Mesi Teo, accused of Kimleang Youn's death

Kimleang Youn died weeks after falling from a moving vehicle in April 2021. Photo / Supplied

An Auckland man who suspected a passenger in his van of not sharing all of his drugs acted so menacingly towards the passenger that the acquaintance decided his best option was to jump out of the moving vehicle, prosecutors said today as his manslaughter trial began.

Mesi Teo was arrested in July 2021 - three months after the incident which resulted in fatal head injuries for 28-year-old Kimleang Youn.

"If I check your pockets what am I going to find?" Teo is accused of having asked Youn as the two drove along Robertson Rd in Māngere on April 28, 2021, after the two allegedly smoked meth together.

He then began patting down Youn's pockets, Crown prosecutor Anna Devathasan told jurors in the High Court at Auckland, describing the defendant as "a big man in a small space" and Youn as much smaller.

"Whatever happened in that van was so frightening for Mr Youn that he felt safer to leave a moving vehicle than to stay with Mr Teo," she said.

It's not the first time the defendant has acted in a violent way towards someone he had detained in a vehicle, the prosecutor contended, explaining that a witness is expected to testify about a similar incident later in the trial.

Teo has been charged with what is referred to as "fright response manslaughter", which occurs when someone causes a person by threat or fear of violence to do an act that causes death.

He pleaded not guilty today to both manslaughter and to failing to stop to ascertain injury.

Prosecutors said police initially had few leads regarding the death but after an extensive canvass of CCTV footage determined it was a silver Toyota van that Youn had been a passenger in. They eventually found the van and were able to obtain more CCTV footage, including of a petrol station where the driver appeared to be a Polynesian man with the word "Teo" tattooed on his left arm.

After that, they were able to obtain a warrant to listen in on Teo's calls and jurors were told he was recorded saying in Samoan: "God knows I didn't push him out. The man himself jumped out."

A DNA swab taken from the pocket area of Youn's pants showed "extremely strong scientific support" that it came from the defendant, prosecutors also contend.

Justice Michael Robinson told jurors that Teo, who has opted to represent himself, will have an opportunity to make his own brief statement tomorrow morning.

Jurors are also expected to hear Teo in his own words when prosecutors play a recorded police interview in which they said the defendant admitted to driving the van but insisted he had no knowledge of Youn's death.

The trial is slated to last three weeks.