Man jailed in Perth for one-punch assault that killed Galway man

By Sean Ryan

A 24-year-old Australian man has been jailed for nine years for the one-punch attack that killed Irishman Thomas Keaney in Perth, Australia.

The Australian Supreme Court heard today that Abbas Yahya Al Jrood, who killed Mr Keaney with a "coward's punch", could have walked away before delivering the fatal blow without any warning.

The sentencing was delayed after submissions were made to allow Mr Keaney's family watch the proceedings on a video link.

Mr Keaney, Ballyconneely, Co Galway, died ten days after the fatal punch which caused him to hit his head on the pavement outside a kebab shop in December 2013.

Prosecutor Laura Christian told Justice Simmonds that Al Jrood had punched Mr Keaney to the head without warning and with considerable force. She said general deterrence was an important sentencing factor.

"To use a colloquial term, it was a king hit or a coward's punch," Ms Christian said.

"The State submits the offender deliberately targeted the deceased. The State says he was unable to defend himself. The reality is it all happened very quickly. (But) he could have simply walked away."

Ms Christian said victim impact statements of Mr Keaney's family described the catastrophic consequences of the 23-year-old's death.

Defence lawyer Ken Bates said Al Jrood had been a decent and responsible man, taking it upon himself as a young person to support his family financially, before being caught up in the "dramatic incident" which led to the offence.

"We submit that this offence was an isolated event and an uncharacteristic aberration in an otherwise blameless and responsible life," Mr Bates said.

"He was someone who was caught up in the situation and made a split-second error of judgement."