Three men charged with murder of Irish teenager in Australia

Sarah Slater

Three men charged with the murder of an Irish teenager, who died in Australia after he fell from an apartment balcony in an alleged armed robbery, are to be sentenced next month.

Cian English, 19, originally from Carlow town, but who lived in the Brisbane suburb of Hawthorne, suffered traumatic injuries when he fell from a fourth floor balcony at the View Pacific resort in Surfers Paradise in the early hours of Saturday, May 23rd, 2020 during an alleged robbery.

He fell to his death when he was being allegedly robbed at knife point following an apartment party where it is alleged that the three men were high on prescription drugs. Mr English attempted to escape but tragically fell from the fourth floor balcony.

Lachlan Paul Soper-Lagas, 24, Hayden Paul Kratzmann, 24, and one other male, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were committed by the Southport Magistrates Court in May of last year to stand trial in the Queensland Supreme Court.

All three are charged with six offences, murder, two of torture, two of armed robbery with actual violence in company wounded using personal violence and stealing on May 23rd, 2020.

Soper-Lagas, Kratzmann, Ryan and the third male are to appear before Brisbane Supreme Court next month, on September 8th and 9th according to Court officials.

"None of the three defendants have entered pleas at this stage," the official added. 'There are also two (female) juvenile defendants in this matter. By law (we are) unable to provide their names and charges." They are listed for court mention on August 29th.

Two of the men have been in custody since the fatal incident with one remanded on bail.

The two girls police allege filmed the beating, stabbing and fatal fall of Mr English subsequently posting video of the events on social media.

Police allege Mr English jumped from the balcony of the View Pacific Resort, where he fell about four floors to his death in a bid to escape being robbed. He had allegedly attended a party held by the three men with a friend in an apartment above theirs.

The Irish teenager was living with his parents Siobhan and Vinny and older brother Dylan. The family left Ireland 20 years ago, first to the Caribbean where Cian’s father worked for Digicel and then settled in Brisbane in 2011.

His ashes were laid to rest in St Mary’s cemetery, Leighlinbridge, Co Carlow several weeks after his death.