Fatal stabbing was revenge, court told

An Aucklander was stabbed to death by another man who chased him down the street seeking retribution for an earlier altercation, a court has heard.

Two men, both aged 20, have gone on trial today for the murder of Daryl Graydon, 24, of Panmure, on December 8, 2007. The two men, who have name suppression, are also accused of attempting to murder another man, Campbell Sussex, and of causing him grievous bodily harm.

Both accused deny all the charges.

In his opening address at the High Court at Auckland this afternoon, prosecutor Steve Symon said the accused were walking along Mellons Bay Rd, Howick, when they became involved in an altercation with a group outside a party.

One of the group was the victim, Mr Graydon, who punched one of the accused in the face after an angry exchange of words. They dispersed and the accused went back to one of their homes that was nearby. Mr Symon said it was there they "hatched a plan to get retribution" and took three knives from the kitchen.

He told the court they were "frustrated and angry" because Mr Graydon had got the better of them and "marched" up the road for about 2 kilometres, eventually catching up with Mr Graydon and Mr Sussex in Ridge Rd where they were challenged to a "2 on 2" fight.

Mr Graydon and Mr Sussex stopped and turned to confront them when one of the accused held up a knife to them. "It didn't take a genius to work out what they meant. The accused were going to use the knives," Mr Symon said.

Mr Graydon and Mr Sussex turned and ran in different directions. One of the accused caught up with Mr Graydon and allegedly stabbed him five times - two in the back, one in the back of the right arm, one in the right side of his chest and one in the right lower abdomen.

The other accused chased Mr Sussex who slipped and fell as he was allegedly being lunged at with a knife. He said to his attacker: "What the hell are you doing" just as they heard Mr Graydon screaming down the street.

He returned to where Mr Graydon lay bleeding and dying and tried to stop the flow of blood with his shirt. Emergency services were called but nothing could be done to save him and he died from his wounds.

The two accused fled, one hiding under some bushes as the police helicopter hovered overhead. Later one of them shaved his head and went to Australia with his girlfriend. He stayed with a family known to his girlfriend and used a fake name. The family soon realised he was in trouble in New Zealand and confronted him about it.

The then 18 year-old was arrested and brought back to New Zealand by police. The other accused was found by police in a Tauranga hotel on December 28 and arrested soon after.

While only one of the accused stabbed Mr Graydon and is considered the principal offender, they are both considered to be party to the killing and therefore both face a murder charge.

A jury of five men and seven women have been selected to hear the trial. The trial has been set down for three weeks.