The wisdom of Soloman in a horrendous case

THE wine was uncorked, not so much in celebration but with relief that a measure of justice had at last come for David Keohane, the young Corkman savagely attacked almost two years ago on a quiet street in Sydney, Australia.

For his parents, Tom and Rita, and for David himself, this day has been a long time coming since a jury acquitted the culprit of his attempted murder last March.

Outside the District Court in Sydney, 30-year-old David’s former work colleague in Australia, Christopher O’Meara, read a text message from him: “Good result... locked up until 2022.”

Thomas Isaako, Bankstown, Sydney, was sentenced by Judge Ronald Soloman to 19 years in jail with a non-parole period of 14, for the attack on August 9, 2008, and a separate assault on an overseas student just nine days later.

“It was as much as we could have hoped for,” David’s father Tom said yesterday. “The jury will have to live with their decision, but at least the judge did something right with that sentence. It means that this guy could be in jail until 2027 and, in any case, he will not be eligible for parole until 2022, even with time already served in custody. I don’t think we could have expected more.”

The Keohane family watched the proceedings from Sydney via videolink at an office in Cork. “It was as if we were actually there in the court,” said Tom. “We could see the judge and the state solicitor and defence solicitor and they could see us as well. It was, in effect, a conference call.”

Via the link, they heard District Court Judge Soloman describe David’s injuries as “horrendous” and speak of the consequences the attack had for the victim and his family.

“The injuries suffered by the victim are more serious than almost any case of robbery.

“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,” he said.