Brisbane electrician cleared of causing death of Lincoln Hoad

A Brisbane electrician has been found not guilty of the unlawful striking causing death of 32-year-old Lincoln Hoad on a drunken night out in a country Queensland town in 2023.

As the jury handed down their verdict, Mr Hoad's family gasped in disbelief.

His longtime partner, Shalika Low, left the courtroom in tears.

She told the ABC that she had been with Mr Hoad for 13 years, and he had told his friends the day before his death that he was going to propose to her.

"He was in such a good mood that day — he had told his work mates he was going to buy a ring in the following week," Ms Low said.

On September 17, Mr Hoad was taken off life support and his organs were donated.

Maua Lagaaia, 36, was cleared of all charges and released from the dock and returned to sit with his friends and family after hearing the jury's verdict.

Chief Justice Helen Bowskill commended the jury on what had "undoubtedly been a difficult case".

The verdict brought to a close a four-day trial in Toowoomba's Supreme Court.

'Boys' trip to the races' gone wrong

During the trial, the court heard it only took six seconds for Lincoln Hoad to be knocked to the ground.

Mr Lagaaia punched him in the jaw and he suffered "unsurvivable" injuries to his brain when he fell and hit his head.

Those six seconds were caught on CCTV cameras at the Australian Hotel in Dalby, 200 kilometres west of Brisbane.

Evidence about the night included allegations of a racial slur used, a selfie with an Olympian, and a "karate kick".

The court heard Mr Lagaaia and his friends had travelled earlier that day from Brisbane to Dalby for the Dalby races.

They started drinking when they arrived in town just after midday and continued drinking late into the night.

At one point, Mr Lagaaia took a selfie with renowned Australian Olympian speed skater Steven Bradbury, who was at the same pub in Dalby.

It was at that pub, the Criterion Hotel, that Mr Lagaaia and Mr Hoad crossed paths for the first time.

CCTV footage seen by the jury showed Mr Hoad sitting by himself in the pokies room, before Mr Lagaaia approached him.

"Nice win on the pokies," Mr Lagaaia said to him, according to evidence given in court by his friends.

The jury heard Mr Hoad replied along the lines of: "Nah piss off, I don't need an audience."

Several hours later, they ran into each other again.

This time, the interaction turned deadly.

Contradicting arguments

In the closing addresses, Mr Lagaaia was characterised by his defence barrister as a "friendly, jovial" man who loved to joke around, and by the Crown prosecutor as a "drunken buffoon" who "acted aggressively".

The jury heard contradictory versions of how the fight started, despite it being captured on the Australian Hotel's CCTV cameras.

Despite differing on who instigated the confrontation, it was accepted as fact that Mr Lagaaia landed the punch that led to Mr Hoad's death.

On Tuesday, forensic pathologist Dr Nathan Milne told the court the punch was "mild to moderate" in force, but the impact of Mr Hoad's head hitting the ground caused increased skull pressure and brain haemorrhage.

Defence barrister Craig Eberhardt successfully argued that Mr Lagaaia was acting in self-defence.

"The law doesn't expect people in such situations to make perfect decisions," Mr Eberhardt said.

"Life doesn't happen in slow motion — or when you have all the facts."

The charge of unlawful striking causing death was introduced in Queensland in 2014 as a response to an increase in "coward-punch" or "one-punch" deaths.

'Lincoln's life matters'

Lincoln Hoad's family said they felt deeply disappointed at the outcome of the trial.

He was "friends with everybody" and had been with Ms Low since he was 19 years old.

In a statement, Ms Low said almost 1,500 people attended his funeral.

"One lady that attended was an elderly lady who would ensure she'd be out by her mailbox each morning by 6:45am to make sure she could get a big wave and smile from her favourite plumber that would drive by each morning," she said.

Ms Low said their love, once "vibrant and full of promise" was now a reminder of everything she'd lost — her dreams, future, and sense of self.

"I miss Lincoln every moment of every day," she said.

"I miss his insight, his wit, his huge smile, his warm embrace.

"He is and always will be loved by the community and this trial does not reflect him at all."