Man charged as Irish victims critical after hammer attack
A Melbourne man, aged 31, has been charged in connection with the savage attack, which took place in a quiet suburb of the city on Sunday morning.
Irish consul authorities have been in contact with the men’s families here and are providing assistance, including arrangements for travel to Australia.
Police in Melbourne are investigating what happened in the run-up to the frenzied attack in the St Kilda East area and are examining the background of the alleged attacker.
The suspect, Luke James Wentholt, who is from St Kilda East in the city, was charged yesterday at Melbourne Magistrates Court.
Victoria Police spokeswoman Sgt Anita Brens said detectives from Glen Eira Bayside brought Mr Wentholt to the courthouse.
She said Mr Wentholt faced counts of intentionally causing serious injury to the two men, recklessly causing serious injury, and other assault-related offences.
Sgt Brens said Mr Wentholt was remanded in custody to appear again at the same court on Oct 8.
She said the victims, both in their 30s, had been taken to Alfred Hospital.
She said they had received “life-threatening head injuries” in the alleged attack, which occurred at a residential address on Lynedoch Avenue at about 1am on Sunday, local time.
Emergency services were alerted to the boarding house, reportedly popular with Irish backpackers, and brought the victims to hospital.
Police sealed off the scene, evacuated the hostel, and conducted forensic examinations inside the house and on the street, where there was also blood.
Mr Wentholt was arrested after presenting himself at Alfred Hospital for treatment about three hours after the time of the attack.
The Department of Foreign Affairs last night said the Irish embassy in Canberra was providing assistance to the backpackers’ families.
The Herald Sun newspaper in Melbourne reported that industrial cleaners had been brought in to clean up the hostel after the attack.
The newspaper also reported Irish consul-general Caitriona Ingoldsby as saying that the men’s families had been notified but she couldn’t say if they were en route to Australia.
“We are aware and we’re providing consular assistance to the families,” said Ms Ingoldsby.
Authorities at Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital said the men had suffered severe upper body injuries.
According to the Herald Sun, one was described as critical, the other as critical but stable.
Neighbours told local media that the area was normally fairly quiet.
A neighbour said: “They told me there was a guy on the loose who had assaulted someone with a hammer and the victim was in hospital. It was pretty crazy. It was pretty scary too.”
She said there had been no unusual behaviour in the street earlier in the evening, and said the area was “a quiet place to live”.
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