AN AUSTRALIAN MARTIAL arts enthusiast, who has already pleaded guilty to the killing of 30-year-old Dublin man David Greene in Melbourne last year, has appeared in court for a pre-sentence hearing.
Luke James Wentholt, had initially entered a ‘not guilty’ plea in relation to the attack, but changed his plea in May, admitting to the murder.
David’s parents travelled to Australia for Wendholt’s appearance at the Victorian Supreme Court, ABC news is reporting.
His father, Aiden, told the court he had felt guilty because he had lent his son the money for his backpacking trip. David’s mother, Catherine, said their lives were now in turmoil, and that they had been looking forward to their son returning home:
Your children are your life – that’s what keeps you going.My whole world had turned upside down at the thought of my beautiful David never coming home to me.
The court was told that Wentholt had written a letter of apology – however, the Green family said they didn’t want to hear it.
At an earlier hearing, the 31-year-old Australian also pleaded guilty to one count of causing serious injury to another Irish man, David Byas, during the incident.
Greene died at the Alfred Hospital two weeks after the attack, while Byas was in a coma for four days.
Wentholt’s former girlfriend Shayla Pullen said earlier this year that she had tried to stop her then-partner from his “forceful stomping” on the two Irishmen.
He will be sentenced next month.
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