A man accused of choking an Airbnb guest to death over an unpaid A$210 (£113) bill has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Jason Colton, 42, is on trial in Victoria’s Supreme Court for the murder of Ramis Jonuzi who rented a room in his Melbourne home.
Mr Colton could face a life sentence if he is convicted of murder and up to 20 years in prison if the jury accepts the death was manslaughter.
Mr Jonuzi had been subletting a room from Mr Colton in the house in the Brighton East district of Melbourne in October 2017.
He had first rented the room for three nights on Airbnb for $30 a night, but agreed to stay another week for $210.
After the week had ended with his bill left unpaid, Mr Colton threw Mr Jonuzi against a wall, choked him with his forearm and punched him unconscious, prosecutor Mark Gibson told the jury.
He said that Mr Colton choked or compressed Mr Jonuzi's neck to prevent him from breathing.
Mr Jonuzi died from compression of the neck and blunt force trauma, the court heard.
However, Mr Colton told police that he was only trying to make Mr Jonuzi pass out.
Mr Colton also allegedly forced Mr Jonuzi to prove that he had less than $10 in his bank account.
Shortly after the incident in 2017, Airbnb told AP that the Mr Jonuzi’s family has its full support and “our hearts go out to them and all of his friends”.
“There is no place on Airbnb for such an abhorrent act, which violates everything our global community stands for,” the company said.
“We have removed this listing from our platform and will fully co-operate with law enforcement on their investigation.”
The incident follows growing concerns over the lack of rules regulating Airbnb and the dangers this poses to the tenants who need stable and affordable accommodation.
The trial continues on Tuesday.
Additional reporting by AP
