A teenager accused of murder was "mouthing-off" about transvestites, not realising an older man had beaten one to death, the teenager's lawyer says.



Two men, David Shaun Galloway and Phillip Christopher Sanders, are blaming each other for killing Richard "Diksy" Jones, 64, at their trial in the High Court at Wellington.



A jury of seven women and five men began considering their verdicts yesterday. Galloway's lawyer, Donald Stevens, QC, said Galloway was just 18 when Diksy died on April 29 last year, which was also Sanders' 41st birthday. Police found them in Diksy's flat.



Galloway later told police he had gone to Diksy's flat to "beat up a transvestite" who did not deserve to be in the world. Mr Stevens said the jury would have seen in Galloway's recorded police interview how incredulous the intoxicated teenager was when he was told Diksy had died.



He had been mouthing off without realising the damage Sanders had done. Mr Stevens said Galloway was raving, expressing his prejudices.



Later, a more sober Galloway had given a second interview saying he had gone to buy a "tinnie" from Diksy who was a small-time cannabis dealer.



Galloway said Diksy was already injured and he aimed two kicks at his head but one was a "half-miss".



Mr Stevens challenged Sanders' evidence of seeing Galloway beating Diksy and throwing a television at Diksy's head. The evidence was remarkable for the inconsistencies and lies, Mr Stevens said.



Sanders had threatened Diksy after a string of complaints Diksy had made against him to police, the probation service and the drug recovery trust where Sanders was living.



The police complaint form recording the allegation that Sanders had stolen a wallet from Diksy was found on Sanders after the killing. Mr Stevens suggested that finding the form in Diksy's flat would have caused Sanders to lose control, prompting a murderous attack.



On Tuesday the jury heard Sanders' lawyer, Paul Paino, say Diksy's complaints against Sanders were not important because they had had no consequences for Sanders.



In evidence Sanders only admitted hitting Diksy once.



The Crown said both men had motives to kill Diksy. Prosecutor Tom Gilbert said the evidence pointed to Sanders' making an initial although probably minor assault on Diksy before Galloway joined him and the more serious violence began resulting in a skull fracture and 21 rib fractures, among other injuries. Diksy died within minutes.