8 Mar 2016

New Zealander in Australia pleads guilty to manslaughter

8:34 am on 8 March 2016

A New Zealander has pleaded guilty to manslaughter, after a man he punched in the head died on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

The 53-year-old man fell and fatally fractured his skull on concrete after Jesse James Patrick punched him on the back of the head in Mooloolaba in February 2014.

Patrick, then aged 21, was on parole at the time for a similar offence.

The Brisbane Supreme Court heard he had a history of violence and anti-social behaviour but felt remorse for his actions.

Patrick has lived in Australia since he was 11 and is a permanent resident.

He had not yet been sentenced but his lawyer said it was likely he would be deported to New Zealand at the end of his term.