Irishmen guilty of horror Oz knife attack
Pair admit roles after brutal brawl involving expats
TWO Irishmen have pleaded guilty in Australia to GBH for an attack in which a fellow expat was stabbed and had his ear severed.
Patrick Farrell and John Dunlea were arrested in Sydney for alleged roles in the assault two years ago.
They yesterday admitted a charge of grevious bodily harm over the gang attack involving up to five Irish people. Images showed the victim
Oliver Solan slumped over on the floor of Sydney’s Randwick apartment complex on Young Street on August 29, 2020. Solan, who was aged 30 at the time, was found half-conscious with blood nearby.
A fourth Irishman, aged 23 at the time, was also injured and discovered later near the apartments.
Farrell and Dunlea are in prison in Australia and yesterday appeared via video link before Sydney’s Downing Centre District
Court. They both pleaded guilty to the charge of causing grievous bodily harm in company while being reckless as to causing actual bodily harm.
It was reported that court documents contain police allegations Farrell was called to the apartment block by a group of people who had rowed with Solan.
It is alleged that Solan was stabbed multiple times and suffered a punctured spleen as well as the severed ear.
Police allege that Farrell arrived at the apartment complex at around 8.30pm and was let in by someone before leaving.
Farrell, from Kildare, was aged 29 when he was arrested three weeks after leaving the apartment and has since remained in custody on remand.
Cops in Australia learned that he was sentenced in Ireland in April 2013 to three-and-a-half years for a 2011 assault that led to the death of student Andrew Dolan.
Mr Dolan, from Carrick-on-shannon in Leitrim, was 20 at the time of the attack on December 23, 2011.
He was punched and hit his head on the ground in Mullingar, Co Westmeath. He died 10 days later in hospital.