Latest news with #BrisbaneSupremeCourt
West Australian
3 days ago
- West Australian
Handshake turns deadly in shocking courtroom footage
A former NRL hopeful allegedly accepted an apology from a man, only to fatally punch him moments later during a heated early morning altercation on the Gold Coast. Oshae Jackson Tuiasau, 29, has pleaded not guilty to unlawfully striking 39-year-old Toro George, claiming he acted in self-defence during an escalating street argument. The court was told the confrontation unfolded just before 4am on December 19, 2021, on View Ave in Surfers Paradise. CCTV footage played to the jury showed a group of five men and one woman walking together when Mr George leaned toward Mr Tuiasau, who then struck him once in the face. Mr George fell backwards and hit his head on the pavement. He died in hospital eight days later, on December 27. In court, Mr George's widow became visibly emotional as the moment was replayed on screen, turning away as the fatal blow was shown to the jury. On the second day of his Brisbane Supreme Court trial, Mr George's cousin, Junior Marsters, told the jury he saw the men shake hands and make peace shortly before the alleged punch, which left Mr George unconscious on the pavement. The court was told earlier in the night at the Havana RnB Nightclub, Mr Marsters had heard rumours that Mr George had 'touched' a woman, and confronted him about it. He said Mr George denied the allegation. Footage from inside the nightclub showed a heated confrontation involving Mr George and another man, leading to more people gathering and arguing with some pushing. The court was told the incident was sparked by the allegations that Mr George had sexually assaulted a woman from the other group on the dance floor. Mr Marsters said he was trying to keep two groups apart during the heated dispute. CCTV footage showed the altercation then led outside of the nightclub when uniformed police officers stepped in and attempted to disperse the crowd. Mr Marsters said he walked off with Mr George before meeting back up with Mr Tuiasau and their niece Lekisha Marsters. 'He (George) apologised … (Tuiasau) accepted the apology,' Mr Marsters told the court. The group began walking together, but tensions soon flared again. Several witnesses said Mr George became increasingly agitated as he insisted on returning to find his brothers. However, the others were unwilling to go back and told him to meet them at the hotel instead. Mr Marsters told the court that Mr George began 'screaming' at him in a mix of Cook Island Māori and English 'He was firm on finding his brothers,' Mr Marsters said. He said the two of them were getting 'angry' at each other. The CCTV footage, leading up to the punch, showed the group arguing with some shoving. Mr Tuiasau is shown walking on the far right side of the group, not appearing to be involved in any physical confrontation. As Mr George leaned toward him, Mr Tuiasau quickly struck him once in the face, causing him to fall backwards and hit his head on the pavement. He immediately lost consciousness. Family members of Mr George looked away each time the footage of the punch was played to the jury. During the first viewing, one relative audibly gasped at the confronting vision. The footage then showed several people rush to his aid, while Mr Tuiasau walked away. Lekisha Masters described being in disbelief, seeing her uncle fall to the ground. 'I was in shock … I tried to help him up to get him on to the chair,' Ms Marsters said. Mr Marsters also described feeling in 'shock' at seeing his cousin go down. 'I told the boys, that's enough, because I'm worried about my family now,' Mr Marsters said, Another witness, Odain Masters, said he heard Mr Tuiasau say 'that is what you get'. Ms Marsters said she didn't hear him say anything as he walked away from the scene. Under cross-examination, Ms Marsters admitted she initially told police her uncle had fallen and hit his head, and not that he had been punched. She didn't explain why she and another witness gave that version to police. Mr Tuiasau was arrested at 4.30am and interviewed at the Southport watch house later that morning, while Mr George was still fighting for his life. He was initially charged with grievous bodily harm. In a video of the police interview played to the jury, Mr Tuiasau appeared subdued and admitted to throwing the punch. 'I looked at him and then I, I hit him … I punched him,' Mr Tuiasau told police. 'It was a good night … up until the very end.' He said he got a 'shock' when Mr George fell and admitted he had been drinking throughout the night. Mr Tuiasau told police the confrontation began while the group was leaving Havana RnB Nightclub and that Mr George had 'started swearing'. He said hearing that Mr George had allegedly assaulted a woman known to him inside the club 'triggered' him. 'We got face-to-face,' he said. Crown Prosecutor Toby Corsbie told the court Mr Tuiasau had lashed out after learning of the alleged assault, but the punch was a 'single moment in time, a single choice' that caused Mr George's heart to stop. Mr Tuiasau's barrister, Craig Eberhardt KC, argued his client acted in self-defence against 'a drunk and aggressive man who had already sexually assaulted a woman that night.' 'It is tragic that he died,' Mr Eberhardt told the court. He said some of the witnesses were not being truthful in their accounts of what happened that night. Mr George's wife, Arden George, became visibly emotional during the proceedings, as the events leading to her husband's death were replayed in court. The trial is expected to last five days, with further witnesses expected to give evidence this week.
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Perth Now
Grieving wife watches fatal punch replay
A former NRL hopeful allegedly accepted an apology from a man, only to fatally punch him moments later during a heated early morning altercation on the Gold Coast. Oshae Jackson Tuiasau, 29, has pleaded not guilty to unlawfully striking 39-year-old Toro George, claiming he acted in self-defence during an escalating street argument. The court was told the confrontation unfolded just before 4am on December 19, 2021, on View Ave in Surfers Paradise. CCTV footage played to the jury showed a group of five men and one woman walking together when Mr George leaned toward Mr Tuiasau, who then struck him once in the face. Mr George fell backwards and hit his head on the pavement. He died in hospital eight days later, on December 27. In court, Mr George's widow became visibly emotional as the moment was replayed on screen, turning away as the fatal blow was shown to the jury. Former Queensland and Gold Coast Titans player Oshae Jackson Tuiasau at the Brisbane Supreme Court where he is facing charges of one count of unlawful striking causing death. NewsWire/Tertius Pickard Credit: News Corp Australia On the second day of his Brisbane Supreme Court trial, Mr George's cousin, Junior Marsters, told the jury he saw the men shake hands and make peace shortly before the alleged punch, which left Mr George unconscious on the pavement. The court was told earlier in the night at the Havana RnB Nightclub, Mr Marsters had heard rumours that Mr George had 'touched' a woman, and confronted him about it. He said Mr George denied the allegation. Footage from inside the nightclub showed a heated confrontation involving Mr George and another man, leading to more people gathering and arguing with some pushing. The court was told the incident was sparked by the allegations that Mr George had sexually assaulted a woman from the other group on the dance floor. Mr Marsters said he was trying to keep two groups apart during the heated dispute. CCTV footage showed the altercation then led outside of the nightclub when uniformed police officers stepped in and attempted to disperse the crowd. Toro George, 39, died eight days later in hospital after the alleged punch. Facebook Credit: News Corp Australia Mr Marsters said he walked off with Mr George before meeting back up with Mr Tuiasau and their niece Lekisha Marsters. 'He (George) apologised … (Tuiasau) accepted the apology,' Mr Marsters told the court. The group began walking together, but tensions soon flared again. Several witnesses said Mr George became increasingly agitated as he insisted on returning to find his brothers. However, the others were unwilling to go back and told him to meet them at the hotel instead. Mr Marsters told the court that Mr George began 'screaming' at him in a mix of Cook Island Māori and English 'He was firm on finding his brothers,' Mr Marsters said. He said the two of them were getting 'angry' at each other. The CCTV footage, leading up to the punch, showed the group arguing with some shoving. Mr Tuiasau is shown walking on the far right side of the group, not appearing to be involved in any physical confrontation. As Mr George leaned toward him, Mr Tuiasau quickly struck him once in the face, causing him to fall backwards and hit his head on the pavement. He immediately lost consciousness. Arden George, the widow of victim Toro George, outside the Brisbane Supreme Court. NewsWire/Tertius Pickard Credit: News Corp Australia Family members of Mr George looked away each time the footage of the punch was played to the jury. During the first viewing, one relative audibly gasped at the confronting vision. The footage then showed several people rush to his aid, while Mr Tuiasau walked away. Lekisha Masters described being in disbelief, seeing her uncle fall to the ground. 'I was in shock … I tried to help him up to get him on to the chair,' Ms Marsters said. Mr Marsters also described feeling in 'shock' at seeing his cousin go down. 'I told the boys, that's enough, because I'm worried about my family now,' Mr Marsters said, Another witness, Odain Masters, said he heard Mr Tuiasau say 'that is what you get'. Ms Marsters said she didn't hear him say anything as he walked away from the scene. Under cross-examination, Ms Marsters admitted she initially told police her uncle had fallen and hit his head, and not that he had been punched. She didn't explain why she and another witness gave that version to police. Oshae Tuiasau, 2016 Gold Coast Titans headshot. Photo – NRL Photos Credit: No Source Mr Tuiasau was arrested at 4.30am and interviewed at the Southport watch house later that morning, while Mr George was still fighting for his life. He was initially charged with grievous bodily harm. In a video of the police interview played to the jury, Mr Tuiasau appeared subdued and admitted to throwing the punch. 'I looked at him and then I, I hit him … I punched him,' Mr Tuiasau told police. 'It was a good night … up until the very end.' He said he got a 'shock' when Mr George fell and admitted he had been drinking throughout the night. Mr Tuiasau told police the confrontation began while the group was leaving Havana RnB Nightclub and that Mr George had 'started swearing'. He said hearing that Mr George had allegedly assaulted a woman known to him inside the club 'triggered' him. 'We got face-to-face,' he said. Oshae Jackson Tuiasau, 29, (centre) has pleaded not guilty to unlawfully striking 39-year-old Toro George, claiming he acted in self-defence during an escalating street argument. NewsWire / John Gass Credit: News Corp Australia Crown Prosecutor Toby Corsbie told the court Mr Tuiasau had lashed out after learning of the alleged assault, but the punch was a 'single moment in time, a single choice' that caused Mr George's heart to stop. Mr Tuiasau's barrister, Craig Eberhardt KC, argued his client acted in self-defence against 'a drunk and aggressive man who had already sexually assaulted a woman that night.' 'It is tragic that he died,' Mr Eberhardt told the court. He said some of the witnesses were not being truthful in their accounts of what happened that night. Mr George's wife, Arden George, became visibly emotional during the proceedings, as the events leading to her husband's death were replayed in court. The trial is expected to last five days, with further witnesses expected to give evidence this week.
Sky News AU
11-05-2025
- Sky News AU
Yang Zhao: Alleged disturbing texts sent by man accused of murdering flatmate, putting body in ‘body box' revealed
In April 2021, Rongmei Yan received a mysterious message from her daughter, Qiong. It was a short video clip – no longer than a few seconds – of what appeared to be her daughter's pet cat Anchun being stroked by a woman's hand. There was no face accompanying the clip or message of safety, save for the accompanying text which read: 'I am fine, I have Anchun keeping me company.' On the Crown's allegation, this innocuous message hides a darker truth - that it was not Qiong Yan at all sending this message, and something afoul had happened to the Chinese national during her stay in Australia. In reality, Qiong was already dead when the message was sent. Her flatmate, Yang Zhao, is alleged to have murdered her some time in September 2020 and stuffed her body into a large toolbox, which he kept locked on the balcony of an apartment in Hamilton, in Brisbane's northeast. It would not be until July 2021 that police would eventually discover the grim fate Ms Yan met, upon Zhao's arrest an entire state away. The message – along with the thousands Zhao is alleged to have sent Ms Yan's family, friends and associates – are now at the centre of a criminal trial that has gripped Brisbane Supreme Court for the past week. Zhao has pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder. The Crown contends Zhao not only killed Ms Yan, but that he took her phone and used it to pose as his flatmate for some 10 months, keeping up a ruse that she was alive all along. All the while, he allegedly had access to her apps and banking details, transferring thousands of dollars from her account into his own. The deception is also alleged to have extended to Rongmei, who lives in Shanghai, China. Upon receiving messages supposedly sent from her daughter's account over the social media messaging app WeChat, Rongmei sent her daughter some $400,000. Rongmei has flown in from China to give evidence at the murder trial - last week telling a jury she became more suspicious of her daughter's messages after contact with Qiong became more 'sporadic' and she continued asking her for more money. In one exchange, she attempted to call Qiong, only for her daughter to respond that the signal was 'not good', the court was told. 'Over the next six or seven months, did she ask for large sums of money again?' Crown prosecutor Chris Cook asked. 'Yes,' Rongmei answered. 'When you were sending those messages after September, you didn't know who was on the other end of the phone?' Mr Cook continued. 'No,' Rongmei answered. In April 2021, Rongmei messaged her daughter on WeChat: 'I only want to video call you'. In response, a short video was sent from her daughter's account - appearing to depict a female hand stroking a cat. The accompanying message read: 'I am fine. I have Anchun keeping me company'. A missing person's report was filed to NSW Police that same month. Officers eventually made contact with Ms Yan's WeChat account, urging her to come to a police station as soon as she could. The message sent read: 'Hi, this is Constable Huang from St George Police. Please tell us your current location. Police need to see you in person to check your welfare.' 'Essentially we explained we're from the police and she's not in trouble, we're just trying to find her, and sight her as a missing person,' Senior Constable Kurt Zambesi, one of the officers who responded to the initial missing person's report, told the court. Instead, Zhao – allegedly still using Ms Yan's phone – sent the following message to police: 'Hi, I'm sorry to waste your time and resources, I'm fine. My mother is looking for me because she thinks I spend too much of her money. It's family problem, sorry again to trouble you.' Constable Zambesi went on to tell the court he saw Ms Yan's account posted a status update by April 20, written in Mandarin. 'The rough translation was: 'My life is drunk… confusing, or I'm confused,'' he said. Gross admission from accused killer Zhao has maintained he did not kill Ms Yan, but pleaded guilty to putting her body into the box in a moment of panic, after realising she had died. His story has been put under the microscope during cross-examination, after he chose to give evidence in the witness box. The jury was told Zhao felt 'immense shame' for maintaining the 'lie' Ms Yan was still alive after he took her phone and responded to messages. During his opening, defence barrister Andrew Hoare KC told the jury they would hear evidence from Zhao of how he and Ms Yan were consuming nitrous oxide canisters in order to relax at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Zhao gave evidence he spent the night consuming nitrous oxide canisters with his flatmate, only to wake up and realise she had died and her body was 'cold to touch'. Mr Cook spent much of the cross-examination picking apart alleged 'lies' Zhao told police, including how he allegedly told NSW Police he felt a 'sense of relief' upon his arrest, that he had 'no regrets'. 'You're a liar … a coward … only interested in yourself (and) self-preservation,' Mr Cook continued, to which Mr Zhao answered 'yes'. 'You profited from Qiong Yan's death?' Mr Cook asked. 'Yes,' Mr Zhao said. 'You murdered her for money,' Mr Cook put to Mr Zhao. Accused killer 'had sex' near dead body He responded by saying: 'I did not kill her'. Zhao also admitted he had sex with another person metres from Ms Yan's body and metres from 'where she died'. The trial continues, with Mr Cook and Mr Hoare due to give their closing arguments in the coming days. Originally published as 'Anchun keeping me company', 'Sorry to trouble you': Man's alleged disturbing texts in 'body box' murder trial
Perth Now
11-05-2025
- Perth Now
Disturbing texts in ‘body box' death
In April 2021, Rongmei Yan received a mysterious message from her daughter, Qiong. It was a short video clip – no longer than a few seconds – of what appeared to be her daughter's pet cat Anchun being stroked by a woman's hand. There was no face accompanying the clip or message of safety, save for the accompanying text which read: 'I am fine, I have Anchun keeping me company.' On the Crown's allegation, this innocuous message hides a darker truth - that it was not Qiong Yan at all sending this message, and something afoul had happened to the Chinese national during her stay in Australia. In reality, Qiong was already dead when the message was sent. Her flatmate, Yang Zhao, is alleged to have murdered her some time in September 2020 and stuffed her body into a large toolbox, which he kept locked on the balcony of an apartment in Hamilton, in Brisbane's northeast. Qiong Yan, 29, was allegedly killed in September 2020 by her flatmate Yang Zhao, who left her body inside a large box stored on the balcony of his Hamilton unit in northeast Brisbane for 10 months. Supplied Credit: Supplied Zhao has pleaded not guilty to Ms Yan's murder, but guilty to a charge of misconduct with a corpse. Supplied Credit: News Corp Australia It would not be until July 2021 that police would eventually discover the grim fate Ms Yan met, upon Zhao's arrest an entire state away. The message – along with the thousands Zhao is alleged to have sent Ms Yan's family, friends and associates – are now at the centre of a criminal trial that has gripped Brisbane Supreme Court for the past week. Zhao has pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder. The Crown contends Zhao not only killed Ms Yan, but that he took her phone and used it to pose as his flatmate for some 10 months, keeping up a ruse that she was alive all along. NED-13671 Zhao texts to police All the while, he allegedly had access to her apps and banking details, transferring thousands of dollars from her account into his own. The deception is also alleged to have extended to Rongmei, who lives in Shanghai, China. Upon receiving messages supposedly sent from her daughter's account over the social media messaging app WeChat, Rongmei sent her daughter some $400,000. Rongmei Yan, Qiong Yan's mother, has told a jury contact with her daughter became more 'sporadic' and she was sent a bizarre message of what appeared to be a woman's hand stroking a cat, accompanied by the following message: 'I am fine. I have Anchun keeping me company'. NewsWire / John Gass Credit: News Corp Australia Rongmei has flown in from China to give evidence at the murder trial - last week telling a jury she became more suspicious of her daughter's messages after contact with Qiong became more 'sporadic' and she continued asking her for more money. In one exchange, she attempted to call Qiong, only for her daughter to respond that the signal was 'not good', the court was told. 'Over the next six or seven months, did she ask for large sums of money again?' Crown prosecutor Chris Cook asked. 'Yes,' Rongmei answered. 'When you were sending those messages after September, you didn't know who was on the other end of the phone?' Mr Cook continued. 'No,' Rongmei answered. In April 2021, Rongmei messaged her daughter on WeChat: 'I only want to video call you'. In response, a short video was sent from her daughter's account - appearing to depict a female hand stroking a cat. The accompanying message read: 'I am fine. I have Anchun keeping me company'. A missing person's report was filed to NSW Police that same month. Zhao (centre) is alleged to have sent the video to Rongmei, in addition to contacting NSW Police over Ms Yan's WeChat account where he says: 'Hi, I'm sorry to waste your time and resources, I'm fine. My mother is looking for me because she thinks I spend too much of her money. It's family problem, sorry again to trouble you'. Supplied / 9News Credit: Supplied Officers eventually made contact with Ms Yan's WeChat account, urging her to come to a police station as soon as she could. The message sent read: 'Hi, this is Constable Huang from St George Police. Please tell us your current location. Police need to see you in person to check your welfare.' 'Essentially we explained we're from the police and she's not in trouble, we're just trying to find her, and sight her as a missing person,' Senior Constable Kurt Zambesi, one of the officers who responded to the initial missing person's report, told the court. Instead, Zhao – allegedly still using Ms Yan's phone – sent the following message to police: 'Hi, I'm sorry to waste your time and resources, I'm fine. My mother is looking for me because she thinks I spend too much of her money. It's family problem, sorry again to trouble you.' Constable Zambesi went on to tell the court he saw Ms Yan's account posted a status update by April 20, written in Mandarin. 'The rough translation was: 'My life is drunk… confusing, or I'm confused,'' he said. Zhao has maintained he did not kill Ms Yan, but pleaded guilty to putting her body into the box in a moment of panic, after realising she had died. His story has been put under the microscope during cross-examination, after he chose to give evidence in the witness box. The jury was told Zhao felt 'immense shame' for maintaining the 'lie' Ms Yan was still alive after he took her phone and responded to messages. During his opening, defence barrister Andrew Hoare KC told the jury they would hear evidence from Zhao of how he and Ms Yan were consuming nitrous oxide canisters in order to relax at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Zhao gave evidence he spent the night consuming nitrous oxide canisters with his flatmate, only to wake up and realise she had died and her body was 'cold to touch'. Mr Cook spent much of the cross-examination picking apart alleged 'lies' Zhao told police, including how he allegedly told NSW Police he felt a 'sense of relief' upon his arrest, that he had 'no regrets'. During cross-examination, Zhao agreed he had sex with a woman 'metres' from Ms Yan's body, and the position where she was killed. Supplied Credit: News Corp Australia 'You're a liar … a coward … only interested in yourself (and) self-preservation,' Mr Cook continued, to which Mr Zhao answered 'yes'. 'You profited from Qiong Yan's death?' Mr Cook asked. 'Yes,' Mr Zhao said. 'You murdered her for money,' Mr Cook put to Mr Zhao. He responded by saying: 'I did not kill her'. Zhao also admitted he had sex with another person metres from Ms Yan's body and metres from 'where she died'. The trial continues, with Mr Cook and Mr Hoare due to give their closing arguments in the coming days.
Sydney Morning Herald
28-04-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Chinese man accused of killing flatmate, storing body
A Chinese national is on trial in Brisbane Supreme Court, accused of killing his flatmate and storing her body in a box on his balcony for 10 months.
