Three charged with murder of 19-year-old Irishman in Australia
Police believe he was fleeing trio with knife who were demanding his phone
THREE young men charged with murdering an Irish teenager in Australia who fell to his death from a balcony allegedly viciously assaulted him because they wanted to steal his phone.
Cian English, 19, fell from a balcony on the fourth floor of the View Pacific resort in Surfers Paradise at about 3am on Saturday as he was trying to escape a ‘vicious assault’, police allege.
The teenager – originally from Carlow – emigrated with his family to Australia before he left school, according to people who know the family.
Cian’s family released a statement yesterday regarding his tragic death.
‘Our family is devastated by this tragedy and respectfully ask for privacy as the police investigation into the circumstances continues,’ the statement read.
Detectives say the Brisbanebased teenager was running from three men, aged 18, 20 and 22, who allegedly stormed the flat he was partying in with friends. One of the three allegedly had a knife.
Detective Superintendent Brendan Smith said both Mr English and another of his friends were brutally attacked and ‘robbed at knifepoint’ by the three men. The trio were staying inside another flat in the apartment complex and had been communicating with Mr English’s party throughout the evening, police said.
But relations allegedly soured as the night went on with things eventually turning violent between the two parties.
The robbers allegedly demanded Mr English’s phone and also attempted to steal clothing from him and his friends.
‘What we will be alleging is... the three main offenders have robbed the victim and his friend at knifepoint and in the course of this the victim has attempted to escape and gone over the balcony and died,’ Detective Smith said.
The other alleged victim safely escaped the complex.
Police believe guests at both events ‘took some illicit drugs’ before things got out of hand.
‘We believe that… all persons in the premises were under the influence of drugs at the time,’ Detective Smith said.
After Mr English’s body was discovered, four other teenagers aged between 16 and 19 were found in the apartment in varying states of consciousness and were taken to Robina Hospital for treatment for drug overdoses.
Police allege some of the people who attended the party are responsible for a series of breakins across chemists on the Gold Coast, where prescription drugs were stolen from the premises.
‘Given the circumstances, the consequences of the robbery and the threats made to the victim… the three offenders are being charged with murder,’ Detective Smith said.
The 18-year-old is due to appear in Beenleigh Magistrates Court today while the other two men will appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court.
A woman said she had seen the tragic night unfold via video footage on Instagram and Snapchat.
‘The videos I have seen, they are sickening and so very sad,’ she said. ‘It’s not in the best interest of this poor boy’s family to see him like that.’
A passer-by discovered Mr English’s lifeless body on the pavement before calling emergency services who later found the stash of drugs inside the flat.
Paramedics tried to perform CPR on the 19-year-old, who lived in Hawthorne in Brisbane’s eastern suburbs – but they were too late. Two other 16-year-old boys, believed to be a part of the group, were arrested at 2.20am between View Avenue and the Esplanade for possessing prescription drugs.
They were also treated by paramedics for showing symptoms associated with drug use.
One party guest told Nine News they left the gathering when someone started waving a knife around and after noticing drug paraphernalia in the apartment.
A total of seven people were found in the flat and four taken to hospital in stable conditions. Police believe up to 12 people may have attended the party.
A Queensland Ambulance Service official said the teen had ‘traumatic injuries’.
The drugs involved were reportedly Diazepam or Valium.
‘There was some kind of drugs involved in this situation which caused the incident to occur,’ the official said.
‘No one wants a deceased person, whether they are young or old. Especially a young male who has got his life ahead of him, to have it cut off like this.’
‘Our family is devastated’ ‘Videos I’ve seen are sickening’