The charges against a man accused of attacking an Irish man in Perth in Western Australia over the Christmas period have been upgraded to murder.
Andrew Doan (34) had been charged with assault causing grievous bodily harm to father-of-two Charlie McCarthy at Riverside Road, East Freemantle in Perth on December 23rd.
The charges were upgraded when Mr Doan, from Joondanna in Perth, made a second court appearance at Perth Magistrate Court on Wednesday, according to the West Australian news site.
Mr Doan was not required to enter a plea and spoke only to confirm his name and that he understood the charge, according to the West Australian website. He was remanded in custody to appear at Stirling Magistrates Court on January 31st.
Mr McCarthy (32) from Aghada in East Cork was walking with his wife Nicole and a friend on Riverside Road when a row broke out with two anglers on the road. He was stabbed in the head with what is believed to be a screwdriver and collapsed to the ground.
Mr McCarthy, who worked as a cable layer, was rushed by St John’s Ambulance to Royal Perth Hospital where his condition was assessed as critical and he was put on a life support machine. His brother Daniel and other family members travelled over the Christmas holidays to Perth to be at his bedside before the life support machine was switched off.
Exact details of what happened to Mr McCarthy have yet to emerge but at Mr Doan's first court appearance, his lawyer, Adam Hammond said his client would be fully contesting any charges.
Mr Hammond told Judge Diane Scadden that his client was a "highly compassionate, generous, kind and harmless" individual whose action was more like self defence or an accident than murder.
The court previously heard that Mr Doan allegedly hit Mr McCarthy in the head with a weapon then stayed with him and helped give first aid until an ambulance arrived.
It is understood the decision to upgrade the charge against Mr Doan to one of murder follows a postmortem on the deceased’s body.
A fund-raising appeal for Mr McCarthy's wife and their two children, Ciara (5) and Niall (2), has raised almost €49,000.
His friend Alan Ahern said of Mr McCarthy on the gofundme page for the Charlie McCarthy Family Trust: "His big smile and quick laugh lit up every room. A fun dad, he was as adored by his children as he adored them. He gave his love so easily and welcomed everyone into his world.
“A wonderful husband, an incredible father, and the most loyal friend you could ask for. He is irreplaceable and will be forever missed.”
Mr Ahern paid tribute a local Irish group in Perth, the Claddagh Association for providing help and guidance and assisting Mr McCarthy's friends with the administration of the fund-raising appeal.
