Newcastle man Benjamin Batterham has been found not guilty of both the murder and manslaughter of burglar Richard Slater.
The jury in Batterham’s trial returned the verdicts today, following a two-week trial in Newcastle Supreme Court.
Batterham was accused of murdering 34-year-old Mr Slater, after finding him inside his Hamilton home in March 2016.
During the trial, the jury heard how Batterham chased Mr Slater for several hundred metres, tackled him to the ground, placed him in a choke hold and punched him several times in the head.
Mr Slater suffered three cardiac arrests and died the following day in hospital.
Crown Prosecutor, Craig Leggett SC argued Batterham crossed a threshold in the way he detained Mr Slater, and the pressure he applied to his upper body, caused or substantially contributed to his death.
However, defence barrister, Winston Terracini SC argued his client never intended to kill Mr Slater, and was well within his rights to detain him.
He also pointed to medical evidence which showed Mr Slater was obese, had a pre-existing heart condition and had methylamphetamine in his system at the time.
Reporter Tyson Cottrill will have all the details in NBN News tonight at six.
