The late David Greene.

Friends of the late David Greene attended a Melbourne court yesterday to hear an Australian man plead guilty to his murder.

The Australian Irish Welfare Bureau (AIWB) was in court with two of Mr Greene’s friends as Luke James Wentholt, 31, pleaded guilty to the Irishman’s death.

He also pleaded guilty to one count of recklessly causing serious injury to Irishman David Byas, 28, who spent six weeks in hospital recovering after the incident in a St Kilda boarding house. Mr Wentholt was remanded for a plea in mitigation hearing on July 30.

AIWB administrator Marion O’Hagan told the Irish Echo she spoke to the Greene family in Ireland yesterday morning to reassure them she was going to the court and feels it is a blessing that Mr Wentholt has pleaded guilty.

“The Greene family are really struggling as are the Byas family. It is something you never expect to happen when you say goodbye to your children going on a holiday. He has pleaded guilty which is a blessing,” she said.

“It’s difficult. It’s just too hard. Davey was an apprentice with his dad. They are a very close family and it’s not easy at all. They are beautiful people and it’s just awful.

“It’s just awful and I can’t find the words … To see the pain they are suffering. You can hear the pain in their voices.

“To lose a child in such a brutal way it’s unbearable and difficult to comprehend.”

Ms O’Hagan said that Mr Byas is recovering and that he is being supported by his family and friends. One of the friends at the court yesterday called him to let him know what had happened.

“He is trying hard. There are things he remembers and things he doesn’t. He came out of rehab and he went back to Dublin. He seems to be doing quite well,” she said.

“Like anyone who goes through anything traumatic there are things they don’t remember about the incident. He is a lovely lad. If I lost a close friend at that age I would be devastated.”

Ms O’Hagan said it was one of the most heart-wrenching cases she has been involved with during her years with the welfare group and that it has affected so many people. She also doesn’t not know if the family will be travelling to Melbourne for the next court date.

“It was so brutal. You never dream you are going to be involved in something like this from our own perspective,” she said.

“The Greene family have asked me to sincerely thank the Victoria Police. They have been amazing. There was a mass for Davey and two policemen turned up and it’s things like that which make a difference when you are suffering.

“I don’t know whether they will be coming over. I don’t know if they will be able to handle it physically and emotionally. We will be supportive of them if they come over.”

Luke James Wentholt has pleaded guilty to the murder of Irish backpacker David Greene (pictured).

A Melbourne man has pleaded guilty to the murder of Irish backpacker David Greene in a St Kilda boarding house last August.

Luke James Wentholt, 31, appeared in the Supreme Court via video link from prison today (Wednesday) and pleaded guilty to the murder of the 30-year-old bricklayer, who grew up in Co Wicklow.

He also pleaded guilty to one count of recklessly causing serious injury to Irishman David Byas, 28, who spent six weeks in hospital recovering after the incident in a St Kilda boarding house. Mr Wentholt was remanded for a plea in mitigation hearing on July 30.

The Age reports Australian Irish Welfare Bureau administrator Marion O’Hagan was in court with two of Mr Greene’s friends and said that his family continue to suffer.

Outside court she said that the death has been devastating for both his family and friends – and added that Mr Byas has returned home to Ireland but is struggling.

Mr Greene died in September after sustaining head injuries in the incident on August 26. His parents and two brothers were by his bedside when his life support machine was turned off on September 6 and he passed away just after 3am the next day in the Alfred Hospital.

He grew up in both Co Wicklow and Cabinteely in Dublin and decided to move to Australia in 2011 because of the recession.

He spent time in Perth at first and then moved to Melbourne in January of last year where he became manager of the Lynedoch Avenue boarding house. He became friends with Mr Byas at the boarding house.

The court was previously told that Mr Wentholt was drunk on the night of the incident and that he had been showing off Karate and Jiu Jitsu moves. At the time he had been training in Jiu Jitsu up to five times a week.

The court heard that he repeatedly stomped on the heads of the two Irishmen and Mr Wentholt’s former girlfriend Shayla Pullen said she believed it started when Mr Greene joked about seeing her breast days earlier.

The court heard Mr Wentholt told Mr Greene he wanted to see him outside and Ms Pullen rushed out when she heard smashing sounds from the hallway. The court also heard she saw a shirtless and shoeless Mr Wentholt while the two men were lying still on the floor.

“I got up and opened the door and saw the two Daves were lying on the floor. There was blood everywhere,” she said in her police statement.

“I don’t remember Luke hitting them with anything, he was mostly just stomping on their heads with his foot…I yelled, ‘Look what you’ve done’.

“He had an evil look and stared straight at me.”

Last month, Mr Greene’s grieving mother Catherine spoke about her heartbreak in court documents and revealed that she always told her son to walk away from trouble.

“I had a great relationship with Davey. He was incredibly soft and I always tried to toughen him up and explain not all people were good like him. He never got into any trouble,” she said.

“I always told Davey to walk away from trouble. Davey was more likely to cry if he was confronted.”

Ms Greene recalled how popular her son was amongst his friends and that when he was younger she tried to toughen him up by bringing him to karate lessons.

“People loved Davey, he was something special. After he passed away there were thousands of messages from friends on Facebook for him,” she said.

“If you told Davey something was lovely, he’d just give it to you. Out of my three boys, Davey was the kindest.

“I remember Aidan (her husband) and I tried to toughen him up as a child. When he was six years old we took him to karate lessons. The first time, he was put up against a short little fat boy, and he wouldn’t hit him. He was too upset for the other boy.”

David Greene died on September 7, 2012.

The ex-girlfriend of a man accused of attacking two Irishmen has told a Melbourne court she witnessed him “forcefully stomping” on their heads.

Witness Shayla Pullen appeared via videolink at Melbourne Magistrates Court yesterday, The Australian newspaper reports.

The committal hearing for Luke James Wentholt was held before Magistrate Peter Mealy.

The 31-year old is alleged to have attacked Dubliners David Greene and David Byas at a boarding house in St Kilda on August 26, 2012.

Mr Greene, 30, died on September 7 and was buried in Dublin two weeks later.

Mr Byas remained in rehabilitation at the time of Mr Greene’s death.

Luke James Wentholt has been charged with one count of murder, three counts of intentionally causing serious injury, three counts of intentionally causing injury and three counts of assault.

The Australian newspaper reports Ms Pullen had been dating the accused for three weeks, but had known him for months, at the time of the alleged attack.

“They were both bleeding, (blood) was just everywhere,” Ms Pullen told the court.

She said they had been drinking with friends at the boarding house, where both Mr Wentholt and Mr Greene lived, before the pair started to argue.

“I think (Mr Wentholt) was drunk. I haven’t seen him that drunk before,” Ms Pullen said in a statement to Victoria Police.

She told the court she believed Mr Wentholt was angry because Mr Greene kept joking about accidentally seeing her partially naked while she was in bed with the accused.

“He said, “Dave, I want to talk to you outside”, in a stern voice,” she told the court.

She told the court she heard Mr Wentholt and Mr Greene arguing and then “smashing noises”, followed by another Irish voice.

“I heard like a wrestling and smashing, like someone was hitting up against something.”

She said when she went to the hallway, she saw the two Dublin men lying still on the floor and a shirtless and shoeless Mr Wentholt “forcefully stomping” on their heads.

“I just remember there was lots of blood – every time he stomped, there was lots of blood,” Ms Pullen said.

The witness said she ran at the accused and pushed him away from the Irishmen because “he wouldn’t stop stomping”, the Australian reports.

She said Mr Wentholt showed her an injury on his arm that was spurting blood.

Detective Acting Sergeant Nathan Toey told the court none of the wounds on the victims or Mr Wentholt appeared to have been caused by a hammer found at the scene.

The detective said in his statement that the accused’s injuries may have been self-inflicted.

Magistrate Peter Mealy committed Mr Wentholt to stand trial on the murder charge.

While the accused has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Greene he pleaded guilty to one count of intentionally causing serious injury to Mr Byas.

He also entered a guilty plea for intentionally causing injury to Ms Pullen and two others at the boarding house, and assaulting three other guests.

Magistrate Peter Mealy remanded Mr Wentholt to appear in the Supreme Court on April 17 for a direction hearing.

Mr Greene passed away this morning.

A Dublin man who was critically injured in a violent assault in Melbourne last month has died this morning, police and hospital spokespeople have confirmed.

David Greene, 30, was one of two men assaulted by a man wielding a hammer at a residential address in Lynedoch Avenue on August 26.

Mr Greene and fellow Dubliner David Byas, 28, both sustained life threatening injuries and had remained in intensive care since the incident.

Mr Greene passed away this morning.

His family issued a statement through Victoria police this afternoon.

“The death has occurred in Melbourne earlier this morning of David Greene.  David passed away surrounded by his family and friends.

“David’s parents, Aidan and Catherine, along with his brothers Luke and Aidan, wish to express their gratitude to all those who have helped and supported them through this difficult time.

The family expressed “their deep gratitude to the medical staff at The Alfred Hospital for the wonderful care and attention they provided to David, and to the staff at the Australian Irish Welfare Bureau in Melbourne for all their support.”

“The family have asked that their privacy now be respected as they grieve for the tragic loss of their precious and much-loved son,” it added.

Mr Byas, the second victim of the August 26 attack, has awoken from a coma and been moved to a rehabilitation unit.

His brother Karl has told the Evening Herald that the family are delighted at his amazing recovery.

“It is early days but all the signs are positive so far.

“David can remember everything too, not the assault itself, but everything else. When he woke he was wondering why our parents were there,” he said.

The parents of both men had flown to Australia following the incident.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has been providing consular assistance to the families.

Luke James Wentholt from St Kilda East was charged with assault on August. 27

He was remanded in custody to reappear at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on October 8.

Detectives from the homicide squad have now taken over the investigation.

The two Irishmen grew up in the Cabinteely area of Dublin and were staying at the Lynedoch Avenue boarding house, which provides temporary accommodation.