Verdict delivered in manslaughter trial of ping pong game turned deadly
The jury reached a decision just hours after starting deliberations in the trial of a man charged with manslaughter and assault after his uncle died following a ping pong game that turned violent.
The jury of seven women and five men found Anmol Saggu, 30, not guilty on both charges Thursday afternoon.
After the verdict was delivered, Saggu walked out of the Orangeville courthouse beside his lawyer, Peter Brauti.
"I'm just feeling thankful to the jury and thankful to Mr. Brauti. Still feeling sad for my uncle that he's not with us right now. I'm glad that everything is over," Saggu told CTV News.
During the two-week trial, the court heard a fight broke out in the early morning hours in November 2019 at a house in Mono, and shortly afterward, Taranjit Singh Osahan was dead.
Police arrested Saggu after learning he pushed his uncle during the fight, who minutes later collapsed and never regained consciousness.
Saggu testified his uncle got in his face, so he put his hands on his chest to make space between them. His cousin, he told the court, then punched him repeatedly in the face for laying his hands on the 50-year-old man.
The Crown suggested Saggu initiated the fight and that he was angry, frustrated and aggressive.
Meanwhile, a forensic expert who performed an autopsy on Taranjit told the court the deceased was at risk of "sudden death at any time" due to a severe long-standing heart problem.
Dr. Ashwyn Rajagopalan said several factors could have contributed to Taranjit's cardiac arrhythmia.
"This could have happened with minimal physical activity," he testified. "This could have happened in his sleep."
"Justice was done," said the defence lawyer. "Make no mistake, nobody is celebrating. My client lost his uncle. It's tragic, and he's just happy that he can move on."
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