A driver who fatally struck a teen after racial tensions escalated at a party has appeared in a Brisbane court battered from a prison assault.
Charles Greene, 23, was accused of hitting Jordan Matehaere Tukaki, 17, with his car outside a Woodridge party in December 2012.
The crowded gathering had been peaceful until rival ethnic groups clashed.
Greene offered to plead guilty to manslaughter three times before the Crown agreed to accept instead of pushing for a murder charge.
Scheduled for sentence in Brisbane's Supreme Court on Wednesday, he appeared sporting an eye patch in the dock - allegedly the result of an attack from another inmate who'd assaulted and tried to stab him.
The court heard the attack was likely connected to the same racial tensions between Islander and African groups that sparked the fight at the party.
Hosted by a family friend, the gathering had culminated in an "effective riot", crown prosecutor Dennis Kinsella said.
Defence lawyer Michael Nicolson said the melee may have triggered memories of Greene's upbringing in his war-ravaged homeland, Sierra Leone, where he witnessed murder, torture and rape growing up.
A psychologist's report also indicated he showed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
However, he had been deliberately aggressive and completely overreacted to any damage done to his car in the fracas, Mr Kinsella insisted.
Mr Tukaki died primarily from head injuries sustained in the collision.
Justice Alfred Daubney is expected to hand down a sentence on Thursday.
