Sydney - A Sydney man was charged with murder Thursday after he allegedly killed a pensioner in a fight over the rights and wrongs of watering a lawn. The 66-year-old pensioner, upset at being told by the 37-year-old passer-by that using a hose was a waste, sprayed the younger man with water.
He responded by punching and kicking the older man, who died at the scene.
A spokesman for Sydney Water said the deceased man was not violating Sydney's water restrictions because Wednesday was one of two days a week when hosing a garden after 4 pm was permitted.
It was not the first violent urban incident displaying what has come to be known as water-rage, but it was the first that has led to a fatality.
The Beyond Blue Institute, which monitors and treats depression, said the worst drought in a generation is responsible for an average of one farmer committing suicide every week.
