Accused takes the stand to testify at manslaughter trial

Despite the Crown's best efforts, the man on trial for manslaughter stuck to his story about how a disagreement over the rules of ping pong led to a fight with his younger cousin and uncle, Taranjit Singh Osahan, before Osahan's death.

In an Orangeville courtroom Tuesday, Anmol Saggu, 30, told the court the family moved from Brampton to Mono, and he and his uncle had been drinking.

He testified it was around 4 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2019, when the argument over the ping pong game turned violent, saying Taranjit got in his face before he laid his hands on his uncle to push him back.

Saggu told the court his cousin punched him in the eye, and both his cousin and uncle punched him and pulled out his hair.

He said he called 911 to report the fight, and that's when he heard screams from the basement rec room. He testified he went back into the room to find his uncle unresponsive on the floor.

The Crown accused Saggu of getting angry with his cousin for disrespecting him.

"He disrespected you, and you were going to show him who was boss," the Crown said, suggesting the defendant started the fight, to which Saggu disagreed.

On Monday, a forensic expert took the witness stand to testify the victim's autopsy revealed he had a severe long-standing coronary artery disease that left the man "at risk of sudden death at any time."

Closing arguments are scheduled to start on Wednesday.