Man charged with murder after alleged campground axe attack near Thora
A man has died after allegedly being hit with an ax despite a woman’s attempts to save him, while another man accused of attacking the couple in regional NSW camped near the stands.
Ahwen Kohn, 26, is due to appear in court on Tuesday charged with murder over the man’s death near Bellingen in the state’s north.
The 33-year-old victim was allegedly attacked Sunday night while camping at the Little Styx River Campground on Point Lookout Road in Ebor.
A 25-year-old woman took the injured man to nearby Thora for help, but he died before paramedics arrived.
The woman, who was also treated for bruising on her neck, claimed to the police that she was also attacked.
Kohn was charged with murder, as well as strangulation and assault, after he was arrested in Ebor at around 11.30am on Monday.
NSW Police Superintendent Chris McKinnon said on Monday the three men knew each other.
“They were camping together,” McKinnon said.
McKinnon said Kohn was arrested after taking a lift from the scene on Waterfall Road, a popular tourist route between Armidale and Bellingen.
Thora Market owner Paul Creighton told ABC News on Monday that the dead man had been a regular customer for about a month.
“It takes the wind out of your sails,” Creighton said.
“He was a pretty harmless guy, always well-spoken,” she said.
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Jack Gramenz is a breaking news reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.
