Pizza shop owner George Habkouk guilty over Hadyn Butcher’s death

After two years and two separate trials, pizza shop owner George Habkouk has been found guilty over the death of Hadyn Butcher after an incident in front of the Lakes Hotel at The Entrance.

Central Coast business owner George Joseph Habkouk arrives at the Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney. Picture: AAP Image/Peter Rae

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A pizza shop owner who said he acted in self-defence when he fatally punched another man at The Entrance has been found guilty of assault causing death.

George Joseph Habkouk, 51, had denied being criminally responsible for the death of Haydn Butcher outside a hotel during New Year’s celebrations in January 2018.

His case was based on self-defence and defence of another.

Haydn Butcher was punched on the Central Coast. Facebook.

But a NSW District Court jury on Thursday found him guilty after another jury failed to reach a verdict at his first trial in March 2019.

His bail was continued and he will face a sentence hearing on April 3.

The defence claimed Habkouk floored Mr Butcher five seconds after the 30-year-old stranger “coat-hangered” Habkouk’s employee and friend Charlene Easton.

Flowers left at the scene where Haydn Butcher was punched by George Habkouk and died outside the Lakes Hotel at The Entrance. Photo: John Grainger

But the Crown contended his response wasn’t reasonable in the circumstances.

The jury was shown CCTV footage depicting a number of incidents at The Lakes Hotel in the early hours of January 1.

Those included Ms Easton being punched in the mouth by a man she didn’t know while sitting at a table inside, being “coat-hangered” by Mr Butcher as she ran to find her first attacker and “get him into trouble”, and Habkouk punching Mr Butcher in the head five seconds later.

Mr Butcher suffered a fractured skull and died in hospital from a brain injury on January 2.