Irish men charged with murder in Australia
Two Irish men have been charged with murdering a man in Australia.
The pair, from Co. Donegal, had previously been charged with assaulting the 66-year-old in the Summer Hill area of Sydney on December 29, 2018.
Christopher McLaughlin, 24, and 21-year-old Nathan Kelly were charged with grievous bodily harm and affray after a man was found with critical injuries on the side of the road. It is understood that both Irishmen are from the Inishowen Peninsula and have only been in Australia for a few months.
The Sydney Morning Herald named the victim as Paul Tavelardis, who was taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Camperdown where he passed away on Monday.
The charges were upgraded to murder after the man lost his fight for life at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
The men remain in the custody of New South Wales police and are due to appear before a court on Wednesday.
The New South Wales Police confirmed the arrests in a statement.
"About 12.30am on Saturday 29 December 2018, emergency services were called to the intersection of Grosvenor Crescent and Liverpool Road, Summer Hill, where they located a critically injured 66-year-old man on the side of the road,” the statement read.
“He was treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics, before being taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in a critical condition,” it said.
The statement confirmed the victim died in hospital at about 8.30am on Monday.
“Two men – aged 21 and 24 – were arrested by detectives from Burwood Police Area Command at the time and charged with reckless grievous bodily harm in company and affray.
The men, both Irish nationals, were charged with murder,” the police statement added.
