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Source: ONE News
A Hungarian tourist who allegedly used a banjo to beat and throttle a 69-year-old man has gone on trial at the High Court in Auckland.
Ferdinand Ambach, 32, a dive master in Hungary, is charged with the murder of Ronald Brown in Auckland's Onehunga.
Brown's battered body was found at his flat in the early hours of December 7, 2007, and he died three days later in hospital after his life support was switched off.
The jury of three men and nine women were told by Crown prosecutor Nick Williams that Brown was assaulted with a 2.7kg banjo. He was struck on the head a number of times.
The accused allegedly met Brown in 306 Bar in Onehunga, before he went back to his flat.
Williams told the jury there was a misunderstanding between the men, with Brown wrongly thinking Ambach was gay.
A heated argument broke out between them, with Ambach then severely beating Brown with the banjo.
Brown was struck five times before Ambach then used the broken-off handle of the banjo and rammed it down Brown's throat.
When police arrived on the scene, they found Brown badly injured and Ambach yelling in Hungarian. He was throwing furniture through an upstairs window and on to the lawn.
Ambach told police in an interview that he could only remember parts of what happened that night.
Sixty-five witnesses will be called throughout the trial, which is expected to last three weeks. The jury is visiting visit the murder scene on Monday afternoon.
The case is proceeding.
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