A man who has collected nearly 80 convictions in less than a decade has been sentenced to five years in prison for the manslaughter of a fellow patron at a Dunedin bar.

26-year-old Stephen Fernyhough has been sentenced this morning in the High Court at Dunedin for killing 35-year-old Ryan Court in the men's toilet of the Craft Bar in April.

The court heard how Fernyhough was using the toilet when Mr Court arrived to use them as well, friendly chat turned into a tussle, where Fernhough ended up choking Mr Court to death.

Frustration in the public gallery boiled over when defence lawyer John Westgate told the court his client was fearful, as he was battling a man 50 kilos heavier than him.

This saw a number of people vent their frustrations at the killing, to which Fernyhough then turned and yelled, "shut up, you weren't there".