Twist in case of former Home State football player accused of killing man with one punch during 4 a.m. confrontation
- Player allegedly hit Toro George at a party
- George later died in a Gold Coast hospital from his injuries.
- Tuiasau was charged in 2021 with serious battery
The victim of an alleged fatal one-punch attack had a blood alcohol level of 0.246 and cocaine in his system before he died, an autopsy found.
Former Queensland Titans and Gold Coast player Oshae Jackson Tuiasau allegedly punched Toro George once in the face on View Ave in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast at around 4am on December 19, 2021.
Mr George lost consciousness at the scene after his head hit the pavement – and he died in hospital days later.
Tuiasau was later charged with aggravated battery after the incident.
Today the defense for Tuiasau – a former Queensland Origin under-20 player – questioned whether Mr George’s weight – as well as the fact he was drunk and had taken cocaine – contributed to his own death.
Oshae Jackson Tuiasau (pictured) allegedly punched Toro George in Surfers Paradise at around 4am on December 19, 2021
Mr Tuiasau (above) was a member of the Queensland Origin under-20s team in 2015 – and following the incident Mr George died.
Tuiasau’s lawyer, Craig Eberhardt, questioned whether it was possible that Mr George, who weighed 110kg and had a body mass index (BMI) of 36.3, had suffered a cardiac arrest “by coincidence » the night in question.
Mr Eberhardt also highlighted the victim’s obesity and the fact that she suffered from “psychological stress”.
In December 2022 – a year after Mr George’s death – Southport Magistrates’ Court heard Tuiasau lashed out because George had assaulted his wife.
Witness Odain Marsters – a distant relative of George – told the court he was sober at the time of the incident and remembered the two men meeting “very clearly”.
In an initial interview with NSW detectives, Marsters told police Tuiasau allegedly “ran from behind (George) and punched him in the back of the head”.
However, CCTV footage played in court showed a different story.
The vision showed a group of men including Tuiasau, George and Marsters walking down View Ave in Surfers Paradise almost side by side before the incident unfolded.
Magistrate Dzenita Balic released Tuiasau on bail and he will stand trial in the Brisbane Supreme Court.
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