Latest news with #ToroGeorge
News.com.au
a day ago
- Health
- News.com.au
‘He's bleeding': Police footage reveals moment after street punch
Shocking body-worn footage shown to a jury captures the moment police found a father of two unconscious and bleeding, minutes after he was allegedly punched by a former rugby league player during a street altercation. Oshae Jackson Tuiasau, 29, has pleaded not guilty in the Brisbane Supreme Court to unlawfully striking 39-year-old Toro George, who died in hospital eight days after the alleged attack on December 19, 2021, in Surfers Paradise. Mr Tuiasau, a former Gold Coast Titans player and Queensland under 20 representative, claims he acted in self-defence during an escalating early morning altercation. Police body-worn camera footage played to the jury showed Mr George unconscious and slumped on a seat as officers questioned the group he had been with. 'What happened to him, he's bleeding,' one officer asked, before another checked Mr George's pulse and confirming he was still alive. Police then laid him down on the bench, with one officer, who continually monitored Mr George's condition, describing his pulse as going 'a hundred miles an hour'. 'A big thump, thump, thump, thump,' the officer said in the footage. 'Got an ambulance coming for you, mate,' he added. The officer can also be heard saying, 'It looks like he's gasping for air. 'He's got blood pouring out of his nose too.' About four minutes later, the officer reported he could no longer detect a pulse. 'I think his pulse is gone … yep,' he said. The officers quickly moved Mr George onto the ground, ripped open his shirt and began CPR. Witness Odain Marsters told police at the time that Mr George had simply collapsed, while another family member, Lekisha Marsters, repeated the same story. Under questioning, Mr Marsters admitted that he had not been truthful. 'I thought that he was going to be all right, I didn't want things to get more serious,' he said. Mr Marsters said he urged the group not to speak to police until they had 'clear heads'. The jury was told that Mr George's fatal injury came after a night of escalating tension sparked by a sexual assault allegation at Havana RnB Nightclub. Earlier in the evening, a young woman told the court that she had been celebrating her 19th birthday when a man, later identified as Mr George, allegedly touched her inappropriately on the dance floor. 'A male touched me inappropriately … in my crotch area,' she said. 'His hand started above my belly button and was pushed against my tummy and went down to my vagina.' She said she didn't consent to it. The woman said she immediately told her brother, who then confronted Mr George. 'I went up to him straight away and grabbed him,' the brother told the court. He said they were 'mouthing off' at each other and Mr George started laughing, which made him 'more angry'. CCTV footage captured the resulting confrontation on the nightclub floor that quickly escalated as others became involved and security moved in to break up the fight. The footage showed pushing and growing tensions between two groups. Mr George's cousin, Junior Marsters, testified that he had also heard rumours that Mr George had 'touched' a woman and confronted him, but Mr George denied it. After being told to leave by security, the groups gathered outside the nightclub before police arrived and separated the parties. Detective Sergeant Michael Bradley, who was rostered in the safe night precinct that night, said his team dispersed the crowd and walked Mr George, Ms Marsters and Odain Marsters away from the club. 'We tried to keep all parties separate,' Sergeant Bradley told the court. Body-worn camera footage showed the trio walking casually to a set of traffic lights, laughing and appearing to be in good spirits. They then encountered another group, which included Mr Tuiasau, but everyone told police they were fine, and officers let them go. 'There was no aggression whatsoever,' Sergeant Bradley said. Junior Marsters, along with other members of the group, testified that Mr George and Mr Tuiasau had shaken hands and made peace. 'He apologised … (Tuiasau) accepted the apology,' Mr Marsters told the court. After letting the group go on their way, Sergeant Bradley said moments later a member of the public alerted police to an incident in the direction the group had walked. When officers arrived, they found Mr George unconscious on a bench, surrounded by the group. An officer initially found a pulse, but Mr George's heart soon stopped, prompting police to begin CPR before paramedics arrived. Earlier in the trial, the jury viewed CCTV footage showing the moment Mr George was allegedly struck. The court was told that after parting ways with the officers, tensions flared again as the group walked through Surfers Paradise just before 4am. As the group continued walking, Mr George became increasingly agitated, insisting on returning to find his brothers. Witnesses said he was speaking loudly in a mix of Cook Island Maori and English, while CCTV footage showed shoving between him and other members of the group. Mr Tuiasau, who appeared uninvolved in the physical exchanges, was walking on the far side of the group. The footage showed Mr George leaning toward him before Mr Tuiasau suddenly struck him once in the face. Mr George fell backwards and hit his head on the pavement. He immediately lost consciousness. In court, Mr George's widow Arden George became visibly distressed when the footage was played, turning away and crying. Family members audibly gasped when the blow was shown for the first time. Ms Marsters 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,' she said. Odain Marsters told the court that Mr Tuiasau said 'that is what you get' after the punch. Ms Marsters said she did not hear that remark. Under cross-examination, both admitted they initially told police that Mr George had simply fallen and hit his head. They did not explain why they had not told the truth at the time. Another witness, Dylan Thoroughgood, a friend of the Marsters family who was with the group that night, also admitted to lying in his initial statement to police. 'I didn't want to be involved in something like this,' he said. 'I didn't know he was going to pass away.' Under cross-examination, he answered 'yes' when asked if he lied because he knew some of the group had taken cocaine and to also protect Mr George, who had become angry leading up to the punch. However, when questioned at other times about why he lied, he would also say, 'I don't know'. Mr Tuiasau was arrested at 4.30am and interviewed later that morning at the Southport watch house. In the recorded interview played to the jury, he admitted to throwing the punch. 'I looked at him and then I, I hit him … I punched him,' he told police. 'It was a good night … up until the very end.' He said he had been drinking throughout the night and felt 'triggered' after hearing what Mr George had allegedly done to someone he knew. Crown prosecutor Toby Corsbie told the court that 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 that 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.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
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 MÄ�ori 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.
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
‘A single choice': Trial of NRL player Oshae Tuiasau told one punch left man dead after night out
A former Queensland under-20s State of Origin and Gold Coast Titans player allegedly told a man 'that is what you get' after an alleged one-punch attack that left a man dead, a court has been told. Oshae Jackson Tuiasau, 29, has pleaded not guilty to unlawfully striking a man who later died in hospital, claiming he acted in self-defence during an early morning altercation in Surfers Paradise. The former NRL hopeful appeared in the Brisbane Supreme Court on Monday for the first day of his trial, where prosecutors told the court a witness would testify to his alleged words after the fight. The court was told Mr Tuiasau allegedly struck Toro George, 39, once in the face on View Ave, Surfers Paradise about 3.30am on December 19, 2021, with the confrontation caught on CCTV. Mr George fell backwards, hitting his head on the pavement and losing consciousness. He died in hospital eight days later, on December 27. Mr Tuiasau was arrested shortly after the incident, about 4.30am, and interviewed by police later that morning at the Southport watch house. At the time, Mr George was still fighting for his life, and Mr Tuiasau was informed he would be charged with grievous bodily harm. In a video of the police interview played to the jury, Mr Tuiasau appeared subdued and quiet. 'I looked at him and then I, I hit him … I punched him,' Mr Tuiasau said. He said he got a 'shock' when he saw Mr George fall and admitted he had been drinking throughout the night. 'It was a good night … up until the very end,' he said. Mr Tuiasau told police the fatal confrontation began as the group was walking away from Havana RnB Nightclub. He claimed Mr George had 'started swearing' and that after hearing about an alleged assault on a woman 'triggered' him. 'We got face-to-face,' he said. Earlier in the night, the court was told, there had been a heated discussion involving both men inside the nightclub. CCTV footage showed a confrontation inside Havana before a group, including Mr Tuiasau, gathered and appeared to argue. Outside, footage showed uniformed police officers intervening and pushing one man away before the group eventually dispersed. Crown Prosecutor Toby Corsbie told the jury the fatal moment was caught on CCTV and played the clip in court. It showed six men, including Mr George and Mr Tuiasau, walking almost side-by-side before Mr George leaned toward a man in a white shirt. That man, alleged to be Mr Tuiasau, then punched Mr George in the face. The impact caused Mr George to immediately collapse to the ground. The footage showed several people trying to help him, while Mr Tuiasau walked away. Family members of Mr George were visibly emotional in the courtroom, with one gasping as the footage was played and others looking away. Mr Corsbie told the jury it was 'a single moment in time, a single choice'. He said Mr George 'immediately lost consciousness … and his heart stopped beating.' The Crown alleged Mr Tuiasau lashed out after learning Mr George had allegedly assaulted a woman known to him inside the club. 'It is not alleged the defendant intended to kill him,' the prosecutor said, however alleged Mr Tuiasau ultimately 'snapped' after a series of events throughout the night. The court was told witnesses would testify they had earlier seen the two men shake hands and hug before leaving. However, one witness is expected to testify that shortly after the punch, Mr Tuiasau allegedly said 'that is what you get'. Mr Tuiasau's barrister, Craig Eberhardt KC, told the jury his actions were not unlawful, but in self-defence against 'a drunk and aggressive man who had already sexually assaulted a woman that night'. He said Mr George was intoxicated by alcohol and cocaine and had been belligerent throughout the evening. 'He punched Mr George once in the right cheek,' Mr Eberhardt said. 'It is tragic that he died.' The courtroom was packed on Monday with supporters and family of both Mr Tuiasau and Mr George. A jury of four women and eight men was empanelled to hear the case, which is expected to run for five days.
