A father allegedly stabbed to death by his son was a violent monster similar to the wife-beating character Jake the Muss from Once Were Warriors, a court has heard.
A man in his 20s is on trial in Auckland's High Court for the stabbing murder of his father, who is in his 40s, at a south Auckland house last year.
Both the father and son can't be named for legal reasons - and there are other suppression orders in place.
- Police release damning 2018 family violence statistics
- White collar crims, domestic violence worse than gangs - expert
The defendant's lawyer, Elaine Ward, says the father "terrorised" the family, and compared him to Jake the Muss.
"He lived that lifestyle through and through," she said during brief opening remarks.
Ms Ward says her client, the son, was "at the opposite end of the spectrum."
She says he worked full-time and had never been in trouble with the law.
"He loves his family and feels protective over his mother," she said of the defendant.
The son admits stabbing his father but says he did so in self-defence. He says his father was punching him at the time and that the father had severely beaten his mother hours before the incident.
Earlier, Crown Prosecutor Gareth Kayes gave his opening statements.
He told the court that on the day of the alleged incident the father had seriously assaulted his wife, the defendant's mother.
It's alleged the father also attacked one of the defendant's siblings and threatened a number of people.
On the night of the attack, the defendant and several family members had locked themselves in a house allegedly to protect themselves from the father.
The father came to the house, banged on the door and told his son to come outside or he would damage his car.
Family members say they saw a car leave the property and thought the father had left.
By this stage, the defendant had armed himself with a knife and the police had been called.
The defendant walked out of the house alone with the knife in his hand.
Mr Kayes says the defendant told police his father then came out of the darkness and punched him multiple times.
He says the defendant stabbed his father six times and the fatal blow was an 11cm wound to the chest.
Mr Kayes says there were no witnesses to the stabbing.
The prosecutor told the jury they should consider the fact the defendant only had minor injuries and the fact the father wasn't armed.
The court has also heard that the father had a problem with drugs and violence.
The trial is before Justice Ailsa Duffy is expected to last three weeks.
Newshub.
