Tamate Henry Heke pleads not guilty to manslaughter of Shane Merrigan in road rage incident

A BRISBANE man killed after being pushing into oncoming freeway traffic during a scuffle with another driver had a history of road rage run-ins, cops say.

Shane Merrigan was run over by a rubbish truck after a road rage scuffle on a Brisbane motorway.

A NEW Zealander accused of killing a Brisbane man by pushing him into the path of an oncoming truck during a road rage scuffle has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter.

Tamate Henry Heke allegedly pushed Shane Merrigan, 50, in front of a truck on the Gateway Motorway at Eight Mile Plains on December 1, 2015. Heke pleaded not guilty to one count of manslaughter as his Brisbane Supreme Court trial began on Monday, as well as not guilty to an alternative charge of unlawful striking causing death.

Mr Merrigan had a history of road rage dramas, police say.

Police have alleged Heke got into a dispute with the victim over a traffic incident.

Both stopped their cars on the Pacific Motorway-Gateway Motorway merge and had an altercation between their two vehicles.

Heke then allegedly attacked Mr Merrigan, causing him to fall into the truck’s path.

The Brisbane Magistrates Court has previously heard while Heke had been a model citizen, Mr Merrigan had a history of being involved in road rage dramas.

More to come ...