AUSTRALIAN POLICE have arrested a second man over the aggravated assault of Irishman David Keohane in August 2008.
Police from New South Wales arrested the 21-year-old suspect at a house in Darwin in the Northern Territory at 6am local time this morning. The arrest follows a nationwide search. The New Zealand national will face Darwin Magistrate’s Court today for an extradition hearing.
Mr Keohane, who is now 29, was discovered lying on the street in the beachside Sydney suburb of Coogee about 3am on August 2nd, 2008. He had suffered head injuries and was treated in a nearby hospital before being repatriated to Cork by his family in September 2009.
Eastern Beaches Local Area Cdr Supt Gavin Dengate said a tip-off from the public led to today’s arrest. “We received information from members of the public which assisted us in finding this man and I would like to extend my thanks to the community for their help.”
Police say they the suspect to be extradited to Sydney tomorrow, and that he will be charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent to murder.
In May, Thomas Isaako (21) was jailed for his role on the attack on Mr Keohane. Isaako was sentenced to 19 years with a non-parole period of 14 years for assaulting Mr Keohane, and a separate attack on a foreign student nine days later. Isaako pleaded guilty to robbery and inflicting grievous bodily harm on Mr Keohane after being acquitted of attempted murder by a jury.
With time already spent in custody, Isaako will be eligible for release on September 15th, 2022.