Overview
- A Cairns jury concluded that John Yalu did not have the intent required for murder but convicted him of manslaughter for the death of 66‑year‑old Kalman Tal.
- The charge grew from an incident in February 2022 when prosecutors say Tal’s lower left leg was cut off above the ankle with a battery circular saw at an Innisfail riverside park and he later died from blood loss.
- Court evidence included CCTV, forensic and emergency‑services findings showing heavy bleeding and failed makeshift tourniquets, and a police interview in which Yalu said Tal pressured him and told him how to use the saw.
- The defence told jurors Yalu believed he was relieving Tal’s chronic suffering and that Tal had organised and directed the procedure, an account Yalu gave voluntarily to police through an interpreter.
- The verdict turns on the legal test of intention to cause grievous bodily harm and will be followed by a sentencing hearing that will determine Yalu’s punishment and final legal outcome.