McNeil found not guilty of one-punch murder

Shaun McNeil has been found not guilty of the one-punch murder of Sydney teenager Daniel Christie on New Year's Eve 2013.

McNeil broke down in the dock after the Supreme Court jury handed down its verdict following around six hours of deliberations.

Daniel's father Michael Christie, who sat in the gallery taking notes throughout the trial, was not in court for the verdict.

The crown argued McNeil delivered a "large swinging punch" to Daniel, causing his body to stiffen and his head to hit the pavement with an audible crack.

They said he intended to cause the 18-year-old grievous bodily harm when he threw the punch at Sydney's Kings Cross.

McNeil, who pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter, has always maintained he lacked the requisite intent, later describing the punch as a "jab".

The trial heard McNeil had been walking along Darlinghurst Rd in Kings Cross with his girlfriend, Sonya Walker, at about 9pm when three teenagers approached and asked if they wanted to buy drugs.

They also commented Ms Walker was "hot", sparking a confrontation in which McNeil was punched in the face and one of the teens was punched to the ground.

Daniel's brother Peter Christie told the trial that the 9pm fireworks had just gone off when they saw a chubby teenager lying in the middle of a pedestrian crossing near the suburb's party strip.

He said another teen approached him and Daniel and said: "This dude hit all of us."

A tall, "kind of muscly" man in a white shirt then walked towards them, he said.

"He had an aggressive sort of manner, sort of like beefing himself up to look big," Peter explained from the witness box.

"I heard him say `I'm an MMA (mixed martial arts) fighter'."

As the man approached within about a metre-and-a-half, Peter said his brother took a slight step back, raised his palms "in dismissal" and said "no, no, no, no".

It was then that Daniel was hit, his brother said.

McNeil's barrister Craig Smith said his client thought the Christie brothers were part of the same group as the teenagers.

McNeil is expected to return to court for sentencing proceedings for manslaughter on August 21.

The attack on Daniel happened just metres from where Thomas Kelly, 18, was fatally punched by Kieran Loveridge on July 7, 2012.

The teens' deaths sparked intense media coverage of alcohol-fuelled violence and prompted the introduction of controversial lock-out laws in Kings Cross and central Sydney, as well as mandatory sentencing for fatal one-punch assaults if alcohol or drugs are involved.

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