A 26-year-old Perth doctor and BJJ blue belt is facing a manslaughter charge after a 63-year-old man died during an altercation.

Christian Jack Joseph, a junior doctor at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, was arrested at the scene and appeared before the Perth Magistrates Court the next morning, where he was refused bail and remanded in custody until his next hearing in three weeks.

Prosecutors say Dr Joseph had been out celebrating a birthday with friends at licensed venues in Fremantle, before the group returned to a friend’s home near South Terrace and Douglas Street around 1:30am.

Dr Joseph reportedly spotted a man looking through the window and called out to him, which escalated quickly – he allegedly chased the 63-year-old, tackled him to the ground, and held him in a rear naked choke for roughly one minute and 50 seconds, an incident the court heard may have been captured on nearby CCTV.

The man lost consciousness during the hold.
Dr Joseph performed CPR while a friend called emergency services, but the man died after being taken to Fiona Stanley Hospital.

Neighbor George Sanderson-Brown said he was woken by the sound of the altercation:

It was a deep scream, like when it actually hurts.

Dr Joseph’s lawyer argued the incident was self-defense and inconsistent with his client’s character, describing him as “dedicated to saving lives” and “fearful” in the moments leading up to the restraint.
The Homicide Squad is now investigating.

Dr Joseph’s background stands in contrast to the charge he now faces.

He graduated as top ATAR scorer from Corpus Christi College in 2017, then completed a Bachelor of Arts in music studies and a four-year Doctor of Medicine at the University of Western Australia.
He also played guitar in the Fremantle band Jeeper and trained BJJ across multiple Perth gyms, holding a blue belt and competing in local submission grappling tournaments.

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