Sydney 2010
July 15: A New Zealander tracked down in Darwin over a savage attack that left
an Irish backpacker with brain damage is expected to appear in a Sydney on
court on Friday.
David Keohane was bashed beyond recognition and is
now confined to a wheelchair. The then 29-year-old was left for dead in a quiet
street after a night out in Coogee, in Sydney's east, on August 9, 2008. Kane
Desmond Tupuolamoui, 21, is the fourth person to be arrested over the brutal
attack.
NSW detectives tracked him down at a house in
Leanyer, in Darwin's northern suburbs, early this morning after a tip-off from
the public. His arrest follows a two-month nationwide search.
Mr Tupuolamoui briefly appeared on Thursday in
Darwin Magistrate's Court, where Magistrate Daynor Trigg granted an application
for his extradition to Sydney.
He will not be formally charged with inflicting
grievous bodily harm with intent to murder until he appears in Waverley Local
Court on Friday morning.
He is scheduled to leave Darwin, where police
believe he has been living for some time, on an overnight Qantas flight.
Police have been looking for Mr Tupuolamoui since he
allegedly attacked Mr Keohane, who was was living in Sydney and working as a
flooring contractor.
Mr Keohane was robbed and punched in the head about
14 times in an unprovoked attack from behind by two men.He was treated for
multiple head injuries and facial fractures at Prince of Wales Hospital, where
he remained unconscious for seven months.
Mr Keohane was taken back to his home in County Cork
by his family in September 2009.
"I'm very pleased with the news," said his
friend, Steve Carey, who still lives in Sydney.
"David is doing reasonably well. It's a long
road of rehabilitation. He's at home but he goes often to the central
rehabilitation hospital in Dublin for intensive therapy."
Two months ago, Thomas Isaako from Bankstown was
sentenced to a minimum 14 years in jail over the attack. Two other people have
been charged for lesser offences in connection with Mr Keohane's assault. Eastern
Beaches Local Area Commander Superintendent Gavin Dengate today said police
believed they had caught the two main offenders. "Our investigations are
at a stage where we're alleging the two main offenders have been
arrested," he said. AAP
