Isaako not guilty of attempted murder

A young Sydney man who admitted to the brutal bashing of Irishman David Keohane has
been found not guilty of his attempted murder by a Sydney jury.

Mr Keohane, 29, was bloodied, bruised and left for dead in a deserted Coogee street
after being attacked by the stranger in the early hours of August 9, 2008, the
Downing Centre District Court was told.
Thomas Isaako, 21, of Bankstown, told police that after drinking at the Coogee Bay
Hotel, a companion suggested they "roll" someone, which he said meant "bash someone
and take their stuff".
Mr Keohane was picked because he was the only person the pair could see in the
street, he said.
Isaako said that after hitting Mr Keohane and seeing him fall to the ground, he
punched him four more times before telling his companion to stop hitting him.
Mr Keohane's whole face was fractured in the attack and doctors said he was lucky to
survive.
But Isaako says he never intended to kill Mr Keohane.
He had pleaded not guilty to attempted murder, but guilty to robbery in company and
inflicting grievous bodily harm.
The jury began their deliberations shortly before lunch on Monday and returned a not
guilty verdict to the attempted murder charge on Tuesday afternoon.