Northern NSW man charged with murder after allegedly striking another man with axe

A man who allegedly killed his friend with an axe following a dispute at an isolated campsite in northern NSW asked a witness if they knew of any “off-the-track areas” following the brutal incident, a court has been told.

Ahwen Kohn, 26, appeared before Bail Division Court on Tuesday afternoon on three charges related to an alleged altercation at a campsite that ended when Kohn allegedly brandished an axe and used it to kill a 33-year-old man, who is yet to be identified.

Police allege that Mr Kohn struck the man on the head several times with an axe following an altercation they had at the Little Styx River Campground near Ebor in northern NSW before then assaulting a 25-year-old woman, also known to him, after she suggested they seek medical attention for their gravely injured companion.

Wearing a sweat-drenched green T-shirt, Mr Kohn showed little emotion during Tuesday’s proceedings as defence lawyer Matthew Spicer argued that the alleged killer could be released into the community for the length of his court proceedings.

Mr Spicer suggested Mr Kohn could live with his mother at her home near Port Macquarie and be held on a strict 24-hour curfew with daily reporting to Wauchope Police Station.

The prosecution argued that cause had not been shown to allow Mr Kohn back into the community, suggesting that should he be convicted, a full-time prison sentence was “inevitable”.

“The accused is alleged to have assaulted this witness following her suggestion of calling paramedics, which would have resulted in police attendance,” the prosecutor said.

“The witness has convinced the accused to load the body into a car and has driven away. The accused has then approached another witness asking for a lift to the main road and in doing so has inquired about ‘off-the-track areas’.

The prosecutor told the court that Mr Kohn had a knife tucked into his waistband at the time of his arrest on Waterfall Way.

The presiding magistrate said the facts of the matter were “most serious” and noted that Mr Kohn had a relatively limited criminal history with no previous recorded incidents of violence.

“I won’t go into the facts but they are most serious indeed … cause is not shown. Custody will be inevitable in relation to this,” the magistrate said.

“What is concerning is that a man with a limited history would allegedly commit a murder as serious and as brutal as this one.”

Mr Kohn will reappear at Armidale Local Court on April 22.