Dixon referred to himself as 'chosen one', court told

The former wife of a man accused of a samurai sword attack on two women today told of how he would refer to himself as "the Chosen One".

Wendy Ross said in the High Court at Auckland that Antonie Ronnie Dixon would speak about being connected to another source.

"There's a sentence he used quite frequently -- I can't recall the full sentence -- where 'I'm the One, the Chosen One, the Almighty'," she said.

"It was just too heavy for me and I had to be very careful about the way I left his presence or left the room because it was full-on and very forceful. It was like those religious people you get on the street who really believe what they are saying is it."

Dixon, 36, has pleaded not guilty to a number of charges, including murder and attempted murder.

He is accused of attacking Simonne Butler and Renee Gunbie with asword at the converted shed the three lived in at Pipiroa, on the Hauraki Plains, on January 21, 2003.

He is also accused of shooting dead 25-year-old James Te Aute, who had confronted him about his strange behaviour in an Auckland car park hours later.

Ms Ross, who was appearing for the defence on a witness summons, rubbed Dixon's shoulder as she walked passed the dock towards the witness box.

She said Dixon, who sat hunched forward while she gave evidence, believed he had computer chips planted in his body and that he was being followed.

On one occasion, he spoke about a Concorde jet hovering around in the sky.

She detailed other unusual aspects of Dixon's behaviour during the time they were together, including excitability, talking extremely fast to the point of foaming at the mouth, and rocking back and forth in front of the television.

He would also speak about hearing voices and about the Devil, something she found "quite frightening".

"I decided not to listen too much to what he was saying," she said.

"It's not a topic I talked about because it created so much discomfort for me."

But Ms Ross revealed another side to Dixon, saying he was also charming, knowledgeable, generous and artistic.

"He will pick something that looks like junk and will convert it into a masterpiece."

The trial is continuing.

- NZPA