Killian Stephen Reynolds was getting a lift to a friend's house at Mayfield when he was stopped on one of Newcastle's main roads, allegedly bundled into a car and taken to a Hamilton South home where he is accused of fatally stabbing a 51-year-old man while trying to escape.
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Police found the 23-year-old under a roll of carpet, naked and with a serious head injury metres from where Valentino Taufaao lay dying from multiple stab wounds.
Mr Reynolds faced Newcastle Local Court on Tuesday via telephone link from his hospital bed, where he was recovering from the injuries he sustained during the fatal fight at Coady Street in the early hours of March 8.
He was charged with manslaughter on Monday over the death of Mr Taufaao, also known by the nickname Malou, who was allegedly stabbed five times during an ordeal that Magistrate David Price described on Tuesday as "a quasi-kidnapping".
Despite concerns from the prosecution that Mr Reynolds was a flight risk, Mr Price granted the Cooks Hill man - who was represented by solicitor Matthew Unwin - strict conditional bail for the "very serious charge".
He said the circumstances Mr Reynolds found himself in "would have been terrifying" and there was a "reasonably strong" position to argue self-defence.
"It appears he was taken against his will, arguably - I stress arguably - he was taken to the premises in a kidnapping situation," he said.
It came after Hamilton South man Timothy James Onslow, 25, was charged earlier this month with kidnapping, reckless grievous bodily harm and affray over the incident.
A statement of facts alleged by police, which was before the court on Tuesday, painted a picture of the chase, alleged kidnapping and fight that ended with Mr Taufaao's death and Mr Reynolds suffering a fractured skull and knife wounds. Mr Reynolds, Mr Taufaao and Mr Onslow were known to each other.
Neither Mr Reynolds nor Mr Onslow have entered any pleas.
According to the facts, Mr Reynolds had burnt through most of a $498,000 compensation payment awarded to him last November after a 2013 workplace accident - he had no fixed home and spent money on hotels, prostitutes and drugs until only $15,000 was left four months after he received the money.
He had been at Discreet Gentlemen's Club before he walked to King Street McDonald's for a bite to eat at about 3am on March 8.
There, a woman who had been working at the gentleman's club soon turned up and agreed to give Mr Reynolds a lift to a friend's house at Mayfield.
Mr Onslow arrived at McDonald's in a car with Mr Taufaao and a woman who had recently been in a "casual sexual relationship" with both Mr Taufaao and Mr Reynolds, before another man known to them arrived in a second vehicle.
They followed Mr Reynolds, who was travelling with the woman from the gentleman's club, to Donald Street, Hamilton.
One of the pursuing cars pulled in front of Mr Reynolds and the other rammed his ride, before the 23-year-old got out and tried to flee.
He jumped on the bonnet of a passing car containing two women on their way to work and tried to seek refuge, but Mr Onslow and Mr Taufaao allegedly grabbed Mr Reynolds, dragged him to one of the vehicles and took him to a Coady Street unit.
There, Mr Reynolds was allegedly assaulted - punched and hit with the wheel fork from a bicycle - before he tried to leave.
According to the facts, a fight broke out between Mr Taufaao, who was blocking the front door.
Mr Reynolds allegedly grabbed a 25cm kitchen knife and swung it at Mr Taufaao, inflicting multiple stab wounds.
As this was happening, Mr Onslow grabbed a set of metal BMX bike handlebars and allegedly hit Mr Reynolds "on a number of occasions", with at least one of the handlebar blows striking Mr Reynolds on the top of the head, fracturing his skull.
Mr Onslow called an ambulance for Mr Taufaao and police and paramedics soon arrived at the scene.
"Police were not initially aware that the [Mr Reynolds] was upon the premises however ... they became aware he was laying under a roll of carpet on the kitchen floor, semi-conscious and bleeding from his head injury," the facts said.
"He was naked at the time."
Among the strict bail conditions Mr Price applied on Tuesday, Mr Reynolds will have to report to Newcastle police daily, abide by a 9pm to 5am curfew, not take drugs unless prescribed to him and not consume alcohol. He will face court again on May 23.
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