- Player Toro allegedly hit George during a night out
- George later died in a Gold Coast hospital from his injuries
- Tuiasau was charged with grievous bodily harm in 2021
The victim of an alleged fatal one-punch attack had a blood alcohol level of 0.246 and cocaine in his blood before his death, an autopsy has found.
Former Queensland and Gold Coast Titans player Oshae Jackson Tuiasau allegedly punched Toro George once in the face at around 4am on December 19, 2021, on View Ave in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast.
Mr George was knocked unconscious at the scene after his head hit the pavement – and he died in hospital days later.
Tuiasau was charged with grievous bodily harm after the incident.
Now the defense of Tuiasau – a former Queensland Origin under-20s player – has argued whether Mr George’s body weight – plus the fact he was drunk and had taken cocaine – contributed to his own death.
Oshae Jackson Tuiasau (pictured) allegedly punched Toro George at around 4am on December 19, 2021 in Surfers Paradise
Mr Tuiasau (above) was a member of the Queensland Origin under-20s squad 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 instead ‘coincidentally’ suffered a cardiac arrest on the evening in question.
Mr Eberhardt also pointed to the victim’s obesity and the fact that he was suffering from ‘psychological stress’.
In December 2022 – a year after Mr George’s death – the Southport Magistrates Court heard Tuiasau allegedly lashed out because George had attacked his wife.
Witness Odain Marsters – a distant relative of George – told the court he was sober at the time of the incident and could remember the two men coming together ‘very clearly’.
In an initial interview with NSW detectives, Marsters told police Tuiasau had ‘run from behind’ [George] and hit him on 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 almost side by side along View Ave in Surfers Paradise before the incident unfolded.
Magistrate Dzenita Balic released Tuiasau on bail and he will stand trial in the Brisbane Supreme Court.