Marvin Ray Ketenalagi

The case of suspended doctor Marvin Ray Ketenalagi who is alleged to have caused the death of a 50-year-old taxi driver in 2018 will be summed up on Friday.

Ketenalagi took the stand today and told the court that he had been drinking at a club on the night of the alleged offence.

He said he was walking towards the bus stand when he saw a child, possibly the same age as his son, crying in a dark alley behind the Westpac and TFL Connect building.

The accused said he then approached the child and asked who he was with and the boy pointed towards the 50-year-old man who is now deceased.

Ketenalagi says he had an argument with the deceased.

He admitted in court that he may have pushed and shoved the man but if the witnesses say he assaulted the deceased then it must have been so.

In the closing submissions, state lawyer Sujata Lodhia told the court that the deceased was a heart patient and suggested that the assault inflicted upon him must have contributed to his death.

Defence Lawyer David Toganivalu in his closing submission said there is no denial that the accused assaulted the man but they disputed that the assault or the conduct in which Ketenalagi engaged himself caused his death.