A tattooist facing sex and violence charges angrily interrupted the early stages of the crown's closing argument at his trial, claiming he couldn't sit through it.
However, after consulting with his lawyer in the jury's absence, Dean Keremete, 47, chose to stay.
Justice Matthew Palmer had previously excused him from the courtroom after he'd raised a similar objection during evidence from the second of two women who testified against him in the High Court at Rotorua.
Addressing the jury on Thursday, prosecutor Andy Hill poured scorn on Keremete's claim the complainants colluded to get him arrested, saying this didn't fit any evidence heard.
He highlighted that although the complaints were similar in nature they'd been made five years apart by women who'd only met briefly in passing. Both were adamant about what Keremete did to them.
Despite his violence they'd remained with him because they feared the threats he'd made against them and their families.
"He is much more than a man who beats up on things, he beats up on people too," Mr Hill asserted.
"He's not the Mr Keremete he pretends to be, there's a much darker side to him which you have been exposed to. He wants to blame everyone else instead of himself," Mr Hill said.
