Haig Jacob Arslanian Acquitted of Manslaughter in Brother's Death Following Self-Defense Claim
DPP v Arslanian is a case where the defendant, Hiag Jacob Arslanian, is charged with manslaughter in relation to the death of his brother, Dikran (David) Arslanian, on 5 October 2020. The prosecution filed a new indictment on 26 September 2022 for the charge of manslaughter by unlawful and dangerous act, and the defence filed an application for trial by judge alone. The court assesses whether Hiag's response in shooting his brother was a reasonable response in the circumstances as he perceived them. The court found that Hiag had a history of at least two years of David being violent towards other family members, but most often violent towards Hiag. This history of violence, along with the fact that David had recently physically assaulted Hiag, caused Hiag to feel fear and led him to believe that shooting his brother was necessary to protect himself. As a result, the court found that Hiag's actions were a reasonable response in the circumstances.