Patrick Farrell: Irish nationals set to be deported over attack

Publish date: 2024-06-29

Two Irish nationals are set to be immediately deported back to their home country after being sentenced over their roles in a bloody attack inside a Randwick apartment which left the victim missing a piece of his ear and with life-threatening injuries.

Patrick Farrell, 31, and John James Dunlea, 29, shook the hands of their barristers inside the Darlinghurst District Court on Tuesday afternoon before being led away into the custody of Australian Border Force officials.

The pair pleaded guilty to their roles in the brutal bashing in August 2020, during which victim Oliver Solan was stabbed in his abdomen.

Neither Farrell nor Dunlea were responsible for stabbing Mr Solan but were involved in the four-on-one assault.

As she handed down her sentence on Tuesday afternoon, Judge Pauline David took into account that Farrell had previously been jailed in Ireland for manslaughter over an attack which led to the death of 20-year-old student Andrew Dolan.

The court heard that Mr Solan was bashed inside the Randwick apartment belonging to Patrick Earle.

According to a statement of agreed facts tendered to the court, Mr Earle and Mr Solan were drinking and doing cocaine when they became embroiled in an argument over a woman.

Mr Earle suffered injuries, including a dislocated elbow and head injuries, during the altercation before he called Dunlea to come to his aid.

Dunlea arrived soon after with Farrell and Christopher Morrison, the court was told.

When they arrived, Mr Solan attempted to run out of the apartment, but was thrown to the ground and set upon by the four men.

“Once on the floor, the group of men surrounded Solan,” court documents state.

“As he lay on the floor, Solan was kicked and punched by Earle and Morrison. Dunlea and Morrison kicked Solan.”

According to a statement of agreed facts, Mr Earle then stabbed Mr Solan in the torso.

During the attack, he suffered a punctured spleen – and had to undergo surgery to have it removed – and a collapsed lung.

“Solan was also missing part of his left ear,” court documents state.

“Police located two pieces of ear in the hallways of the unit near the kitchen.”

Mr Earle was earlier this year found not guilty of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Mr Earle will appear in court next year, having also been charged with supplying a prohibited drug.

CCTV captured Mr Solan lying in a pool of blood on the floor of the lift before neighbours called triple-0.

Mr Solan refused to talk to police while he was in hospital and fled the country soon after.

Dunlea handed himself in at Maroubra Police Station a few days later, while Farrell was arrested at his lawyer’s office in Parramatta in late September after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

The court heard that Farrell came to Australia to start a new life after serving three-and-a-half years in prison over the death of Mr Dolan.

However, he once again landed himself in jail in Australia over two violent incidents and drug supply offences.

At the time of the assault, he was on a conditional release order after being found guilty of supplying a prohibited drug.

When he was arrested he was also wanted over the assault of a man at a Matraville pub, to which he was sentenced to two years in prison with a one-year non-parole period.

Judge David took into account Farrell’s expression of remorse, having written a letter to the court in which expressed a desire to apologise to Mr Solan and said: “I wish I could turn back time.”

Both Farrell and Dunlea were sentenced to 18 months in prison, with Judge David declining to set non-parole periods given both are set to be immediately deported to Ireland.

Morrison was earlier this year sentenced to an 18-month intensive corrections order after he pleaded guilty to reckless wounding in company.

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