Jury acquit man accused of delivering deadly punch

The defendant spent two weeks on trial before the High Court at Auckland. Photo / File

A man whose punch allegedly killed a man a day and a half later has been found not guilty of manslaughter.

Israel Te Amo, 20, spent more than two weeks on trial before the High Court at Auckland accused of causing 35-year-old Darryl Nicholson's death.

But after four hours of deliberation the jury returned a majority verdict acquitting the defendant, who was 16 at the time of the incident.

In a police interview in December 2013 - 22 months after the incident - Te Amo admitted he punched the victim but his lawyer Belinda Sellars denied the blow could be proven as the operative cause of the man's death.

Mr Nicholson was knocked down during the Orakei street fight but it was about a day and a half later when he died.

Pathologists said it was triggered by bleeding in his brain but the cause of that bleed was highlighted as the main issue for the jury.

Throughout the trial, the court heard evidence of Mr Nicholson's propensity to get involved in fights and he had broken his jaw nine days before the fight with Te Amo.

Ms Sellars said the victim had 27 convictions for violence and a history of head injuries, which made the medical and factual evidence "murky".

A fight on Karangahape Rd, a domestic with his partner and another incident on the same day as the Te Amo attack could have caused the injuries which led to his death, she said.

"We've got someone who we know was wandering around the neighbourhood drinking," Ms Sellars said.

"Alternative possibilities need to be discussed."