A New Zealand man, accused of cutting a gay teenager to pieces in 2011, has gone on trial at Christchurch High Court.

Gavin John Gosnell has pleaded not guilty to the murder of 15-year-old Hayden Miles, whose body was dismembered and buried in two separate graveyards.

Gosnell allegedly kicked and punched Miles on 22 August 2011 before cutting him up after finding him dead the next day.

New Zealand’s One News reports Gosnell made an angry outburst in court saying: ‘Do you think I would chop someone up while they are alive?’

He has admitted to physically assaulting Miles but denies murder.

‘I was punching and kicking him everywhere, mostly about the face. I couldn’t stop,’ he said in a statement read out to the court.

‘The crown will have to prove whether Gosnell intended to kill him. That he knew what he was doing was likely to cause Miles’s death,’ said defense lawyer Craig Ruane.

Over 1,300 people have liked the Facebook page ‘RIP Hayden Miles’, posting messages of support to his family.

Miles’s parents appealed to the New Zealand gay community for help before his remains were found.

The case continues.