Woman bashed to death over stolen Nazi flag

A Christchurch man bashed his former de facto partner to death in a blind rage over a stolen Nazi flag, a High Court jury was told today.

Nicholas Robert Marsh, 38, has denied kidnapping and murdering Nicola Jane Hackell at his Christchurch flat last March 26.

His trial before Justice Fogarty and a jury of seven men and five women began in the High Court at Christchurch today.

Crown prosecutor Mark Zarifeh told the jury Marsh had subjected Ms Hackell to a "prolonged and determined beating" overnight on Easter Saturday, during which she suffered more than 100 injuries to her body and at least 13 separate injuries to her head.

When he learnt visitors were to call at his flat during the violent confrontation, Marsh bound Ms Hackell's arms and legs with wire and shut her in a bedroom.

Mr Zarifeh said Marsh, a thin, man with a moustache and his receding brown hair tied in a short pony-tail, admitted to police he had given his former partner "the bash" because she had taken a Nazi flag that once adorned his lounge.

Marsh, Mr Zarifeh said, told police he had gone "ballistic", but although he admitted beating Ms Hackell "to a pulp" he had not intended killing her.

At one stage Marsh had got his 12-year-old-son from his earlier relationship with Ms Hackell to help drag her unconscious back inside his flat. Ms Hackell's five-year-old son from another relationship witnessed much of the beating.

Marsh left her dumped in the hallway until the following afternoon when he realised she had stopped breathing and called 111.

Police and ambulance staff found Ms Hackell's body cold with rigor mortis already setting in. She had died of a subdural brain haemorrhage.

Mr Zarifeh said Marsh had already started to "attempt to lie his way out of what he'd done" by telling the 111 operator Ms Hackell had arrived at his flat the previous night after being beaten up.

His trial is expected to run all week.

- NZPA