Man charged with murder after alleged campground axe attack near Thora
Updated ,first published
A man allegedly hit with an ax at a remote campsite in NSW was remembered as amiable, quiet and charming as he appeared in court for the murder of the man accused of attacking him.
Ahwen Kohn, 26, was denied bail 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.
He was refused bail when he emerged from custody via audiovisual link on Tuesday and his next appearance is at Armidale Local Court on April 22.
Judge Miranda Moody described the allegations as “brutal” and “very serious indeed”.
The court heard the 25-year-old woman told police she had been attacked by Kohn when she suggested the man call an ambulance before convincing him to let her drive to a nearby town.
Another witness, who Kohn wanted to drive to the main road, told police he was doing research on off-piste areas.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Mark Sinclair told the court: “(Kohn) referred to an argument that had occurred but did not go into detail and said, ‘You don’t want to know’.”
Defense attorney Matthew Spicer argued that strong bail conditions might warrant his release, yet he has minimal criminal history.
The judge said the latter fact potentially made the allegations worse.
He told the court: “There is real concern about the allegation that a man with no criminal record would commit such a serious and brutal crime.”
Thora Market owner Paul Creighton said: reporter On Tuesday, he had provided police with CCTV footage of the man and woman arriving near the shop after the alleged attack, as well as several local residents who came to help.
The deceased “lovely, quiet young man” had recently lived in the park near the store and came here regularly to buy groceries.
“He was very quiet, he wouldn’t hurt anyone, he was always funny, he would ask every question about how much everything was,” Creighton said.
“He was a charmer, very nice.
“He wasn’t poor, but… he was quite happy living in his car and tent and moving around.”
Jack Gramenz is a breaking news reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.
