The father of stricken Corkman David Keohane has told the Irish Echo of his family’s sense of relief following the sentencing last week of a New Zealand

Kane Desmond Tupuolamoui, who was sentenced to 13 years in jail last week over the 2008 assault on Corkman David Keohane.

man over the 2008 attack.

Tom Keohane, who made the heartbreaking journey from Cork to be with David following the assault, said it had been a “long and very difficult road”.

“We are very pleased to see an end to the court case,” he said.

Mr Keohane, now 32, was assaulted by Thomas Isaako and Kane Desmond Tupuolamoui while walking to his home in Coogee at 3am on August 9, 2008, after buying a pizza. As a result of multiple fractures to the skull and face, he was unconscious for 218 days during which his family flew him to his home in Cork with the support of the Irish, Australian and NSW Governments.

Though he regained consciousness – on St Patrick’s Day 2009 – he was confined to a wheelchair. He continues to suffer from the injuries he sustained in the attack.

Tupuolamoui, 21, was last week sentenced to a maximum sentence of 13 years – eight years without parole – by Judge Ronald Solomon in the NSW District Court.

In 2010, Thomas Isaako was sentenced to 14 years for robbery in company and inflicting grievous bodily harm. A jury found Isaako not guilty of attempted murder.

Tom Keohane told the Irish Echo that David’s long journey of recovery continues.

“We hope things will eventually improve for him,” he said.

Mr Keohane alos expressed his sincere gratitude “to all the people who have given us so much support since August 2008″.

The family of Irishman David Keohane, who suffered horrific injuries when he was bashed in Coogee, has expressed relief after the second of his attackers was jailed by a Sydney Court today (Thursday).

Mr Keohane, 29, was assaulted by Thomas Isaako and Kane Desmond Tupuolamoui while walking to his home at 3am on August 9, 2008, after buying a pizza.

As a result of multiple fractures to the skull and facial fractures, he was unconscious for 218 days during which his family flew him to his home in Cork.

Though he regained consciousness, he was confined to a wheelchair. He continues to suffer from serious brain injuries.

Tupuolamoui, 21, was today sentenced to a maximum sentence of 13 years – eight years without parole – by Judge Ronald Solomon in the NSW District Court.

Tupuolamoui’s sentence was reduced because he pleaded guilty to the attack, but the judge also took into account the fact that he initially fled to Darwin in a bid to escape police.

Tupuolamoui sat with his head bowed as Judge Solomon described how the men had kicked, punched, and hit Mr Keohane with a pole, leaving him with brain injuries that seriously affect his speech, movement and memory.

“This was an aggravated offence causing colossal damage,” Judge Solomon said, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

“They had terrible consequences both for him and his family, changing the character of the victim’s life. He was a successful and independent person who now has an uncertain future.”

Family friend of the Keohanes Pat O’Meara read out a statement after the hearing.

“We’re very relieved that the sentencing has been done and the Keohane family would like to thank the police for all the marvellous work they did in bringing David’s attackers to justice and for all the help and continued support they’ve given them,” she said.

“Many thanks to every body who wished him well and wished the family well. David’s still recovering in Ireland and they would like people to remember him and keep him in their prayers.

“Even though David has many difficulties in life he still retains hid good nature and sense of humour. His family members hope that one day he will regain a measure of what he calls quality in his life.”

The family of a young Corkman beaten to a pulp and left for dead following a night out in Coogee in 2008 have spoken about his miraculous recovery.

David Keohane and his family were among thousands of worshippers to flock to Rome for Mary MacKillop’s recent canonisation.

David’s father Tom has revealed how they prayed to Mary MacKillop, following a hospital visit from the Sisters of St Joseph.

In a Channel 7 documentary aired last weekend, both father and son say that they consider David’s recovery to be a “miracle”.

“They didn’t give David much hope of surviving …they didn’t think that he would [even] regain consciousness,” says Tom.

David’s doctors agreed.

“We all thought the case was hopeless,” says Dr Vanessa Sammons of the Prince of Wales Hospital, “even though he had a heartbeat there were actually no neurological signs of life.”

David was flown back to Cork University Hospital in an unconscious state.

Then, after eight months of lying in hospital in a coma, David finally regained consciousness in March 2009.

David’s father Tom describes the moment his son first stirred.

“That particular morning, March 15, 2009, I went to the window to turn on David’s favourite CD and I heard a noise which I thought was moaning… a little grunt…I looked at him and he was smiling.”

David himself jokes that his Dad even gave him an extra incentive to wake up.

“He agreed that [if I woke up] I could tell him a naughty word, I could tell him to eff off.

“It’s the only day I’d get away with it, though.”

David says he’s “getting better as time passes” and is now back in Cork with his parents, working in the family business at the Cork Carpet Store. While not treated as an official miracle, David Keohane’s recovery is referred to by the Sisters of St Joseph as a “favour”. But for David Keohane and his family, there is no doubt as to the source of his healing.

“I do think a miracle has taken place… because it was out of our hands.”

Tom Keohane, pictured centre with his son David and daughter Carol, before returning to Ireland in 2008.

David Keohane has warmly welcomed the news that there has been another arrest over his 2008 Coogee bashing.

The Corkman was discovered lying on the ground near the intersection of Brook and Kidman Street at Coogee about 3am on Saturday 9 August 2008.

He had suffered head injuries and was treated at Prince of Wales Hospital before being taken back to Ireland in a coma by his family in September 2008.

He regained consciousness on St Patrick’s Day 2009.

Speaking from Ireland last night for the first time since his horrific assault two years ago, David Keohane said he had heard the news and was “very happy he is not free to walk the streets to try and kill somebody else”.

He went on: “The case is ongoing and we have had great confidence in the police force.”

While it’s understood that Mr Keohane faces a long period of rehabilitation, he sounded positive about his prognosis.

“I’m still taking the time I need to recover,” he said.

Kane Desmond Tupuolamoui, a 21-year-old New Zealand national,  was arrested in Darwin on Thursday morning by New South Wales detectives.

The arrest follows a nationwide search launched two months ago.

He faced Darwin Magistrate’s Court for an extradition hearing before being flown to Sydney this morning.

He was charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent to murder at Waverley Court. He did not appear in the dock as he was not applying for bail.

Three other people have previously been charged over Mr Keohane’s assault.

Eastern Beaches Local Area Commander Superintendent Gavin Dengate said a tip off from the public led to the 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,” Supt Dengate said.

Earlier this year, Thomas Isaako was sentenced to 14 years in jail for the 2008 attack.

David’s father Tom told the Irish Echo that the judge in the case, Ronald Solomon, “did his job very well, not like the jury”, referring to the fact that Isaako had, in March, been found not guilty of attempted murder.

David, now 29, woke from his coma at Cork University Hospital in March 2009.

Tom Keohane, pictured centre with his son David and daughter Carol, says he is pleased with the 14 year sentence handed down to Thomas Isaako.

The family of David Keohane have reacted positively to the 14-year sentence handed down to Thomas Isaako for the 2008 attack that left the 29-year-old Corkman in a coma for seven months.

David’s father Tom told the Irish Echo that the judge in the case, Ronald Solomon, “did his job very well, not like the jury”, referring to the fact that Isaako had, in March, been acquitted of attempted murder.

The family watched the sentencing from Ireland via video link as Judge Solomon handed down the sentence to Isaako for the viscous assault that left Keohane with “a life sentence”, according to Tom.

“The injuries sustained by the victim can only be described as horrendous,” Judge Solomon said at the sentencing hearing in Sydney District Court.

“The savage attack in a matter of moments tragically changed the course of the victim’s life from that of a successful, independent young man to that of a dependent person confined to a wheelchair.”

Shortly after the sentence had been handed down, New South Wales Police renewed their efforts to track down a second man wanted in connection to the attack.

Police are seeking to track down Kane Desmond Tupuolamoui who is believed to have fled the country.

New Zealand national Kane Desmond Tupuolamoui, 19 years old at the time of the attack, is however believed to have fled the country.

David, now 29, woke from his coma at Cork University Hospital in March 2009.

Corkman David Keohane, with his father Tom and sister Carol by his bedside, pictured in hospital in Sydney in the aftermath of the August 2008 attack that left him in a coma.

The family of David Keohane have expressed their disappointment at the not guilty verdict handed down to their son’s attacker yesterday in a Sydney court, with David’s father Tom saying that he hoped the accused man, Thomas Isaako, would “rot in f**king hell”.

A jury found Isaako not guilty of attempted murder for an attack which left the 29-year-old Corkman in a coma for seven months. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charges of robbery in company and inflicting grievous bodily harm and will be sentenced on April 21.

”I feel that it is my son who has been given a life sentence,” Tom Keohane said outside the court. “I just hope that when judgment comes [on the two lesser charges] that the judge comes down hard.”

Mr Issako admitted to his part in the attack that left Mr Keohane with serious head and facial injuries, but  denied that he ever intended to murder him.

The case against Isaako, 21, began on Monday March 8 in NSW District Court in Sydney, when the accused pleaded not guilty to attempted murder but guilty to robbery in company and inflicting grievous bodily harm.

On day three of the trial, the court heard from doctors who treated Mr Keohane in the aftermath of the attack, which took place on August 9 in the beach side Sydney suburb of Coogee.

The court heard how the head injuries suffered by Mr Keohane in the attack were so bad that they were “akin to someone who is deceased” adding that Mr Keohane had been “lucky to survive”.

Dr Vanessa Sammons, the neurosurgeon registrar who treated Mr Keohane, said his prognosis had been “very, very poor”. She also spoke of how she recalled looking at the CT scan and thinking ‘‘what could possibly have caused that extent of damage’’.

“To have the degree and number of fractures that David had I cannot imagine that what happened was one or two blows,’’ she told the court. “It must have been multiple and from multiple directions.’’

Dr Sammons also recalled conversations at the hospital when doctors agreed his prognosis was extremely poor and “we thought he would do very poorly and he would be lucky to survive”.

“In my first conversation with David’s family, I said he could possibly live but he would never be the person he was,” she added.

Mr Keohane woke from his coma at Cork University Hospital in March 2009, and is said to be on the road to recovery.

Many Irish newcomers to Australia are able to dig up a distant relative or two that they can stay with while they’re getting settled. But if not, then a hostel should be your first port of call.
Australia’s hostels are highly regulated so the vast majority are clean and comfortable, and while the prices may not compare to the guesthouses of South-East Asia, they are still pretty reasonably-priced at around $20-30 a night per person.
Unofficial hostels are common in high-density backpacker areas like Bondi but these should probably be avoided as most aren’t fitted with smoke alarms and are usually overcrowded and unsanitary. You are better off staying in hostels that are listed in the travel guides or as recommended by friends and fellow travellers.
Generally, hostels require a deposit for a room key, averaging at $10, and in some cases a deposit for cutlery use is compulsory.
To save money on dining out, stay in a hostel with a clean and large kitchen. While many travellers prefer to sleep in their own sleeping blanket, it is note-worthy to remember that many hostels do not allow them.
Most dorms are mixed but if you’re female and travelling alone, you might feel more comfortable in an all-girl dorm. Couples who are travelling may find that booking a double room works out just as cheap as a dorm but early booking is advisable. Reduced weekly rates are also offered.
Long-term deals (up to three months) are available, while some hostels offer free accommodation if you agree to take on house duties like  cleaning and cooking.
SOME hostel chains have a membership scheme where you pay a fee to get discounted rates. Membership to YHA for example entitles you to discounts on accommodation, trips and activities. Some hostels offer storage facilities free of charge for short stays but often charge for longer stays so it may be worth checking out alternative locations such as train stations or travellers’ centres.
Hostels are a great place to meet people and swap traveller’s tips. Quite often they have a jobs board where local employers advertise vacancies suitable for backpackers. Many also have travel desks on site where you can book trips in the area as well. Notices are also regularly placed seeking shared lifts, with petrol costs divided for the entire journey. There are also regular advertisements for cars and camping equipment for sale.
MOST recently arrived ex-pats find shared accommodation the best option. Quite often, the house or flat will have all the main household items – fridge, furniture, TV – so you will just need to furnish your own room.
A shared room in a house can cost anything from $80–$150 per week. For your own room, you can pay up to $200 weekly. You will have to pay a bond – usually four weeks rent – to the person whose name is on the lease. You will also have to pay your share of household utilities.
The main advantage of shared accommodation is that it’s a great way to meet the locals and you’re not tied to a lease. You’ll find share accommodation for each city advertised in the papers, local websites and on shop windows and lamp-posts.
IF you are planning to spend from three to six months or more in one city, then getting your own place is advisable.
Most travellers are dismayed to discover that the vast majority of Australian houses and apartments come unfurnished, but there are businesses that specialise in renting furnished apartments or houses to short-term residents.
Alternatively, furniture can easily be rented, or bought even cheaper at the frequent garage sales that take place all over the cities. Online boards such as Gumtree advertise cheap furniture for sale in your area and, unthinkable as it may be at home, you can often pick up tables and sofas of fairly good quality that have been left on the side of the street.
The Irish Australian Welfare Bureaus in both Sydney and Melbourne also operate a free furniture-lending service for backpackers and it is worth calling them to see what they have in stock.
Unfortunately, there is a rental crisis ongoing in most Australian capitals at the moment and finding accommodation, particularly in the summer months, can require a bit of time and patience. With over 1000 people arriving every week in both Sydney and Melbourne, space is tight and you may have to be prepared to pay a bit more and live a little further out of the city than you envisaged.
With competition so high, arm yourself with as much ammunition as possible to impress estate agents and convince them you will be a model tenant.
Dress as if you are going for a job interview, bring references from previous landlords and if possible, someone you have stayed with in Australia.
If you don’t have a job, bring a bank statement showing how much cash you have in the bank. You may still be asked to pay a few months’ rent in advance as well as your bond (usually one month’s rent – see panel) if you’re unemployed – weigh up the rental situation in the area and decide whether it is worth it.
Groups of guys will have the hardest time convincing estate agents that they are a safe bet as girls and couples are considered less likely to party hard and trash the place.
Sometimes it is a good idea to tell the agent you are considering permanent residency and bring job references that are a testimony to your good character.
You’re generally better off house-hunting mid-week if you can, and even then it’s not unusual to see twenty people queuing up to view the same property. Pick an area and visit the estate agents in person.
Websites such as www.domain.com.au will show all the properties listed in your area. View as many as you can and don’t be too picky or you’ll find yourself homeless for longer.
The main advantage of shared accommodation is that it’s a great way to meet the locals and you’re not tied to a lease. You’ll find share accommodation for each city advertised in the papers, local websites and on shop windows and lampposts.
IF you are planning to spend from three to six months or more in one city, then getting your own place is advisable.
Most travellers are dismayed to discover that the vast majority of Australian houses and apartments come unfurnished, but there are businesses that specialise in renting furnished apartments or houses to short-term residents.
Alternatively, furniture can easily be rented, or bought even cheaper at the frequent garage sales that take place all over the cities. Online boards such as Gumtree advertise cheap furniture for sale in your area and, unthinkable as it may be at home, you can often pick up tables and sofas of fairly good quality that have been left on the side of the street.
The Irish Australian Welfare Bureaus in both Sydney and Melbourne also operate a free furniture-lending service for backpackers and it is worth calling them to see what they have in stock.
Unfortunately, there is a rental crisis ongoing in most Australian capitals at the moment and finding accommodation, particularly in the summer months, can require a bit of time and patience. With over 1,000 people arriving every week in both Sydney and Melbourne, space is tight and you may have to be prepared to pay a bit more and live a little further out of the city than you envisaged.
With competition so high, arm yourself with as much ammunition as possible to impress estate agents and convince them you will be a model tenant.
Dress as if you are going for a job interview, bring references from previous landlords and, if possible, someone you have stayed with in Australia.
If you don’t have a job, bring a bank statement showing how much cash you have in the bank. You may still be asked to pay a few months’ rent in advance as well as your bond (usually one month’s rent – see panel) if you’re unemployed – weigh up the rental situation in the area and decide whether it is worth it.
Groups of guys will have the hardest time convincing estate agents that they are a safe bet as girls and couples are considered less likely to party hard and trash the place.
Sometimes it is a good idea to tell the agent you are considering permanent residency and bring job references that are a testimony to your good character.
You’re generally better off house-hunting mid-week if you can, and even then it’s not unusual to see 20 people queuing up to view the same property. Pick an area and visit the estate agents in person.
Websites such as www.domain.com.au will show all the properties listed in your area. View as many as you can and don’t be too picky or you’ll find yourself homeless for longer.

A Sydney teenager who lied to police about the bashing of Cork man David Keohane in Coogee last August has been handed a suspended jail sentence.

 Nineteen-year-old Chanel Taia of Matraville told Waverley Court on October 29 that she denied any knowledge of the bashing to police because she was afraid it would affect her long-term relationship with boyfriend, Thomas Isaako.

Isaako, also 19, is accused of bashing 29-year-old Keohane, who remains in a coma in Cork University Hospital. A 39-year-old man has also been charged with hindering police and concealing a serious offence in connection with the attack.

The court heard that detectives investigating the bashing were led to Taia after records showed there were 18 calls made to her from Keohane’s stolen mobile phone between August 9 and 12. 

The teenager works as a fashion merchandiser and has aspirations to join the army.

Taia initially denied knowing Keohane when questioned by police before eventually admitting that she knew of the bashing.

The court heard that Taia has been in a relationship with Isaako since she was 13 years old and he was “adamant” that she conceal what had happened from police.

Magistrate Lee Anne Gilmour said she was considering a jail sentence for Taia, despite her clean criminal record.

“I accept that you were not there on the night,” Ms Gilmour was reported as saying. 

“If you have been in a relationship with this gentleman since the time you were 13, then of course you are going to be attached to him…if he is a violent man, even afraid of him.”

Taia was ordered to serve a nine-month suspended jail sentence and to be of good behaviour for 12 months. 

Isaako remains in custody and is due to face court again on November 27.

New South Wales police are continuing to search for a fourth man wanted in connection with the attack. A description and photo of New Zealand national Kane Desmond Tupuolamoui, 19, was issued two weeks ago but police have yet to locate him.

“We are not speculating on where he could be,’’ a police spokesman said. “Our inquiries are continuing.”

Meanwhile, David Keohane’s  condition has not improved and his family are maintaining a bedside vigil in Cork.

A 20-year-old Bankstown man has been arrested and charged with attempted murder over the horrendous bashing of Corkman David Keohane outside the Coogee Bay Hotel in Sydney in August.

The man was arrested at 3.30pm yesterday (Wednesday) and was charged with one count each of attempted murder and aggravated robbery with wounding. He was refused bail and is due to appear at Bankstown Local Court today.

The man’s 19-year-old girlfriend was also arrested and charged with hindering police and concealing a serious offence. She was granted conditional bail and is due to appear at Waverley Local Court on October 29.

The vicious attack took place on August 9 shortly before 3am and left Keohane, from Ballyvolane in Cork, with severe facial injuries. He remains in a coma at Cork University Hospital.

For more details on the arrests see the next edition of the Irish Echo which hits the shelves on October 8.

Mr Keohane was flown from Sydney to London in the last few days but the family reportedly ran into trouble in London when they discovered that Aer Lingus could not accommodate the patient on one of their planes.

But a kindly air ambulance owner has intervened to get the stricken man from London to Cork.

David Hill, from a Dublin-based company called Lifeline Air Ambulances, agreed to offer a free transfer for David and his family.

Mr Hill told the Irish Independent: ”They’ve had enough hassle over the past weeks,” he said, adding that Aer Lingus is not really to blame as it is not properly equipped to provide what he called ‘specialist travel arrangements’.

“David hasn’t regained consciousness, although he is responding and moving his hands when people talk to him,” a family friend told the Irish Echo before he left Australia. 

The Irish Echo understands that the family face expenses of approximately $120,000 to take their son home after they arranged a deal with the Prince of Wales Hospital. The usual cost of such a long journey by air ambulance is around $300,000.

The investigation into the assault is said to be progressing well, with police continuing their enquiries into two men of Pacific Islander appearance, who they believe may have some information on the attack.

Keohane, a volunteer for the telephone counselling service, Lifeline, was beaten so badly he needed extensive brain surgery and a facial reconstruction.

Four weeks after the attack, Tom Keohane said his son is now “a healthy young fella from the neck down.” “It’s from the neck up that the damage was done,” he said.

A fundraiser held in The Mercantile Hotel at the start of the month helped to raise over $40,500 for the Keohanes, while their community in Cork has also been raising money to help cover the expense of getting David home.