Photo: RNZ/Marika Khabazi
A well-known New Zealand musician has been found guilty on two charges relating to domestic violence, but not guilty on nine others.
The defendant, who has name suppression, has been on trial at the Auckland District Court over four charges of assault on a person in a family relationship, two charges of threatening to kill, two charges of assault with a weapon, suffocation, and threatening to do grievous bodily harm - tracking back to events that happened in 2022.
Of those charges, the jury found him guilty of one charge of assault on a person in a family relationship and one charge of threatening to do grievous bodily harm.
In the Crowns closing arguments, crown lawyer Emma Barnes said the complainant had no motive to lie about having suffered abuse.
While in the defence's closing arguments on Thursday, lawyer Susan Gray said the defendant was "entirely blameless" for physical violence.
Gray said the trial had laid bare a "toxic relationship", but urged the jury to consider whether there was proof beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant was guilty of those serious offences.
Judge Simon Lance summed up the case at Auckland District Court on Friday morning.
The jury began deliberating at 11.30am.
The defendant as well as family members of both the complainant and the defendant were present in the court room.
Judge Lance has allowed interim name suppression to continue for the man until his sentencing date in March.
He thanked the eight men and three women on the jury for their "hard work, and for your patience".
"This trial went longer than anticipated, we had our interruptions, we had our stops and starts. None of you grumbled about that, you all stuck to your guns, you were diligent, you worked hard," he said.
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