Adrian Reginald George Phillips is giving evidence at his trial in the High Court at Hamilton where he is charged with murdering 20-year-old Bayden Williams. Photo / Mike Scott
The man accused of murdering Bayden Williams has described how he wanted to die during a serious accident before the alleged murder, which left him with severe burns.
Adrian Phillips accidentally set himself alight while pouring accelerant on a bonfire around Christmas time, 2018, which left him with such debilitating injuries it caused him significant mental distress, his defence counsel claims.
Phillips took the stand for the first time at his trial in the High Court at Hamilton for the murder of Williams on August 5, 2020.
The 24-year-old's thighs, hands, arms and chest were badly burned in the accident which an emotional Phillips recounted to the jury.
"When I was on fire I wanted it to hurry up and kill me because I didn't want it to take too long," he said with his mouth quivering.
Before the accident Phillips said he and Williams were "mates", with he and Macy visiting her sister Chloe Randall and her partner Williams at least once a month.
But when Williams and Chloe, who by late 2019 had a baby son, split up, tensions began to mount among the families.
When Chloe's father Peter Randall and Phillips went to Williams' house in Tairua in January 2020 to retrieve some of Chloe's belongings Williams and his father Lance Williams turned up.
The court heard Lance Williams carried out a "brutal assault" on Peter Randall and Phillips was also assaulted by the younger Williams.
This incident, which coincided with Phillips' spiralling mental health, contributed to his belief that Williams owed him an apology.
Stuart said Phillips bought a gun to hunt, not because he planned to kill Williams.
She said it was clear Phillips had acted in self-defence when he shot Williams on that fateful night.
She said Phillips' mental health was poor and he had earlier smoked cannabis when he decided to confront Williams on the Kopu-Hikuai Rd that night.
As Phillips tailed Williams the pair drove erratically before Williams braked, causing Phillips - who was following too closely - to hit the back of Williams' car.
It sent the vehicle spinning out of control and down a bank.
That's when Stuart said Williams scrambled out of the car and, with his headlights still on and illuminating the 20-year-old's silhouette - screamed at Phillips that he would kill him.
"I'm gonna cut you up. I'm going to f**ken kill you."