The lawyer for a man accused of deliberately driving into two cars, killing a woman, says the charges against his client are too severe.
Tony Worrell, 49, faces charges including murder and attempted murder over the incident in Karaka last month.
He appeared in Manukau District Court on Wednesday.
Katy Powles, 29, was killed in the crash and another motorist, Brett Stuart Robinson, was seriously injured.
The accused appeared in court in a wheelchair and sat with his head in his hands throughout the proceedings.
Lawyer Matthew Goodwin said his client had suffered horrendous injuries and was struggling to come to terms with what had happened.
He submitted the charge should be manslaughter rather than murder.
Mr Goodwin also says his client should be given bail because he had been threatened while on remand in prison. An application for that will be heard at the end of the week.
