Family has been in ‘living hell’ since attack

A FAMILY has spoke of their “living hell” after a vicious attack in Sydney two years ago left Irishman David Keohane in a wheelchair with severe brain damage.

His sister Carol also said they live in hope David will be able to achieve some kind of quality life, despite being faced with enormous challenges as a result of his injuries.

In a Sydney court, she read out a victim impact statement, on behalf of the family, during a sentencing hearing for one of Mr Keohane’s attackers.

She described having to see “such a fit and active young man travel back (home to Cork) unconscious with no control over his body and no awareness he was even leaving Australia”.

Mr Keohane had bought a pizza and was walking home from the pub in the early hours of August 9, 2008, when he was set upon in beach-side Coogee.

The flooring contractor was hit on the head about 14 times and left lying in the street, less than 100m from his doorstep, the court previously heard.

Judge Ronald Soloman was told how Mr Keohane, a permanent resident of Australia, hoped to build a life for himself in Sydney, but all that changed the day he was “left for dead at the side of the road”.

Kane Tupuolamoui, aged 22, pleaded guilty in November to robbery in company and inflicting grievous bodily harm.

Mr Keohane had remained unconscious for 218 days and had to re-learn how to use his hands, eat, walk and wash, the New South Wales court was told.

His recovery was derailed in January when he had a life-threatening seizure. He remains in hospital with doctors unable to say what quality of life he will have.

“Today David cried as he asked us what happened to him. It broke our hearts to have to explain all over again that he was attacked by two strangers on a night out,” she said.

“We would not have survived these times that you could only describe as hell, without the support and prayers from people we didn’t know.”

In May last year, Tupuolamoui’s co-offender, Thomas Isaako was sentenced to at least 14 years in prison for the attack on Mr Keohane and that of another man nine days later.

He was acquitted of an attempted murder charge, but pleaded guilty to robbery in company and inflicting grievous bodily harm.

The 21-year-old, who will be eligible for release in September 2022, told a judge he lied to police when he implicated his friend in the violence.

Thomas Isaako gave evidence at co-offender Kane Tupuolamoui’s sentencing hearing.

“First of all, my statement was a lie. I’m sorry, your honour, I lied,” he said when asked to recount what happened on the morning of August 9, 2008.

“In my statement I said it was his idea. It wasn’t. It was my idea.”

“I said: ‘Let’s do this, let’s roll someone’. I was the first to hit him and I was the only one who hit him. Kane didn’t touch him at all.”

Tupuolamoui’s sentencing hearing was adjourned to July 15.