NSW: Man pleads guilty to lawn rage manslaughter
15 Dec 2008 11:20 AM
Eds: Reissuing to correct spelling of suburb in second par
SYDNEY, Dec 15 AAP - A man has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of a Sydney homeowner he wrongly accused of ignoring water restrictions.
Todd Munter, 37, of Caringbah in Sydney's south, is accused of punching 66-year-old Ken Proctor in the face as he was watering his lawn at Sylvania in October last year, at a time when he was legally entitled to do so.
Mr Proctor allegedly turned the hose on Munter, after he called him a "stupid old goat" for disregarding water restrictions, prompting a physical altercation.
Munter is accused of punching him, pushing him to the ground and kicking him.
In the NSW Supreme Court on Monday, Justice Roderick Howie was told Mr Proctor died after suffering a heart attack as a result of the altercation.
Munter pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder but guilty to manslaughter.
