An Airbnb guest was spun 180-degrees into a wall before being choked in a double-arm hold when he failed to pay his accommodation fees, a Melbourne court has been told.
Jason Colton, 42, is standing trial in the Supreme Court of Victoria for the murder of Ramis Jonuzi, but the accused man claims the death was manslaughter.
Mr Jonuzi was staying at a Brighton East house for $30 a night during October 2017, but had failed to pay his $210 bill, the court was told on Tuesday.
The other men were concerned he was "going to do a runner at some stage".
Mr Jonuzi showed his bank balance to housemate Craig Levy - proving he only had about $6 in his account.
"I couldn't see the money coming," Levy, who admits he helped in the assault, told the court.
"And on top of that, he wasn't the best person in the house. He had a drug habit and it caused him to be erratic."
Colton lunged at Mr Jonuzi after the victim sat down to have a glass of wine, despite Levy having asked him to leave some hours earlier.
"He moved fast, grabbed Ramis by the scruff of his shirt, spun him around 180 degrees and threw him against the wall ... and had his forearm against his neck," Levy said of Colton.
At some stage in the attack, Mr Jonuzi passed out, with Levy and fellow housemate Ryan Smart picking him up by the arms and legs and taking him outside.
"He was wiggling so we knew he had come to," Levy said.
"We moved away and Jason jumped on top of him."
The trial continues.
