15 Feb 2016

Deadly punch disproportionate - Coroner

5:31 pm on 15 February 2016

A coroner has found that a man struck with disproportionate force when he killed another man with a single punch a decade ago.

Eighteen-year-old Nicolas Munro died a few days after being hit by a heavy punch outside a Dunedin bar in March 2005.

Coroner David Crerar said the man who hit him, Sam Scott, had acted out of proportion to any threat from Mr Munro, who was shorter and very drunk.

But Mr Munro had insulted and hit Mr Scott, Mr Crerar said.

The police appeared to have acted properly when they decided a jury would find Mr Scott acted in self-defence, he said.