Lachlan McCluskey, 20, to stand trial for manslaughter after alleged assault of 46-year-old father led to his death
A young man has become emotional in court on learning he will stand trial for manslaughter over a fatal punch in a Parafield Gardens pub carpark that led to the death of a 46-year-old father.
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A young man has been ordered to stand trial for manslaughter over the death of a father outside a Parafield Gardens pub.
On Thursday, Lachlan Mark McCluskey appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court and pleaded not guilty to one count of manslaughter.
McCluskey, 20, of Paralowie, became visibly emotional when told he would now have to stand trial in the District Court.
Previously, the court had been told McCluskey unlawfully assaulted a man, 46, outside the Slug ‘N’ Lettuce pub, on Martins Rd at Parafield Gardens, in June 2019.
That assault, prosecutors have alleged, led to the man’s death in hospital several hours later.
Following the incident, police – who dubbed it “tragic” and “unnecessary” – arrested both McCluskey and Benjamin John Purvis.
Initially, the duo were charged with aggravated causing serious harm – the allegation was later upgraded to murder, then downgraded to manslaughter.
Prosecutors alleged the duo had been ejected from the pub around 12.30am due to a disagreement with other patrons.
They further alleged CCTV vision showed McCluskey leap up and assault the victim with a “smack to the side of the head”, but it “remained unclear” what the argument had been about.
All charges against Purvis were dropped in December 2019, and prosecutors pursued their case against McCluskey alone.
On Thursday, Magistrate Simon Smart remanded McCluskey on continuing bail to face the District Court in July, when his trial date will be set.