Man to stand trial for murdering tagger

A man charged with stabbing to death a 15-year-old tagger has been committed to stand trial for murder in the High Court in Auckland later this year.

Bruce Emery, 50, entered a not guilty plea at the end of a depositions hearing in Manukau District Court today.

Pihema Clifford Cameron, 15, died after being stabbed in Manurewa on January 26.

A 16-year-old relative, who has name suppression, told today's hearing the pair had been drinking and smoking cannabis when they decided to take several spray cans out to tag properties near Pihema's Mahia Road, Manurewa, home.

Pihema went to tag a power box when they saw a light on in a house and heard a man call out "Oi! What are you doing?"

The teenager said they started running down the road but Pihema was having trouble keeping up.

The man caught up with the pair and came right up to Pihema's face.

Pihema kept trying to back away "pretty fast" but the man kept walking up to him.

Pihema tripped over the kerb and got up as quickly as he could but the man "just kept coming and coming".

Pihema had a spray can in his hand and a clenched fist as he was backing away and the teenager also tried to use an empty can, to get the man away from Pihema.

The teenager said the man tried to punch him, swinging at him with a black-handled knife.

He then "punched out and stabbed" Pihema on the right-side of his chest and ran away, he said.

Pihema told his relative "He got me, he stabbed me."

"I threw a can at him [Emery] and yelled at him that he stabbed him but he ran away," the teenager said.

He thought Pihema was fine until he noticed the amount of blood covering him.

"He was stumbling everywhere. "He just went down."

The teenager said as he dialled for an ambulance it sounded as if Pihema was "trying to breath but blood was stuck in his throat".

About 20 supporters of Pihema filled the public gallery, with several breaking down when they heard the relative describe the moment he was stabbed.

- NZPA