The mother of a Dunedin murder accused told the court her son changed nine months before the fatal stabbing after he was robbed and beaten in a park.
The 14-year-old defendant is on trial before the High Court at Dunedin over the death of 16-year-old Enere Taana-McLaren at the bus hub in May.
The boy was changing buses when he clashed with the Trinity College student in an incident captured on numerous CCTV cameras.
Yesterday, the jury heard evidence of the background of both teenagers in the lead-up to the alleged murder.
Two witnesses spoke about being on the end of Enere’s violent outbursts while the defendant’s mother told the court about her son’s history.
The woman, who cannot be named, said her son had experienced bullying at school, which culminated in an incident at Halfway Bush Park in August 2023.
The defendant said he was kicked, choked and punched by a group of boys until he blacked out.
While the assault took place and his snacks were stolen, one of the party was holding a pocketknife, he told the court this week.
"I was very worried, I was angry, I was scared," his mother said.
"I said ‘[son] you’re not a punching bag, you should stand up for yourself’."
She told jurors the incident altered the defendant.
"[He] was shutting down; basically comes from school, sits in his room ... even at supper time he would sit in his room, so he was isolating himself," she said.
Later, the teenager ventured out more and, unbeknown to her, he began carrying a knife.
"He’d act differently, be wearing different clothes, he would speak differently," she said.
On May 23, the defendant was accused of vaping at school and the acting head earlier told the court of his aggressive demeanour.
The school guidance counsellor took the boy home but yesterday said there was no evidence of agitation.
"[He] was calm, polite. There were no obvious signs of emotional dysregulation," the man said.
He said he conveyed the school’s concerns to the defendant’s parents — backed up by his notes on the school’s internal system — but that was denied by the teen’s mother who said no such explanation was given.
Had she known, she said, she would not have let her son leave the house that afternoon.
The next time she saw him was a couple of hours later at the police station after the stabbing at the bus hub.
Earlier, the defence called two witnesses who had experienced Enere’s aggression just months before he died.
The first witness, a man in his 60s with name suppression, said he was waiting for a bus in January when he took the teen to task over an expletive he had issued towards a woman.
"He got aggressive and walked up to me, getting so close there was about 30cm between us," the witness told the jury.
The man said Enere struck him in the face with his headphones, leaving him "in shock and some pain".
The court heard he later received an apology letter.
The second witness, who had met Enere at several parties, said he was waiting for a taxi by the police station in the bus hub in February last year when he saw the teenager across the road.
He told police Enere was normally "approachable and friendly" but on that day responded to his greeting with a "f... you".
The man replied in kind and described Enere crossing the road and punching him in the mouth as he rose from his seat.
After restraining him, the witness said it was only in the taxi when he realised his front tooth had been knocked out.
Next week the court is expected to hear from forensic psychiatrists who assessed the defendant.
