Two Irishmen accused of murdering a 66-year-old man in Sydney will remain behind bars after a judge formally refused them bail.
Christopher McLaughlin (24) and Nathan Kelly (21) appeared in court on Wednesday via video-link from separate prisons.
The pair were initially charged with reckless grievous bodily harm and affray after a man was found lying on the side of the road with serious injuries on December 29th.
Court documents show the two Irishmen were separately arrested by police within an hour of the discovery of the man’s body.
Their charges were upgraded to murder after Paul Tavelardis (66) died in hospital on Monday morning.
The two men appeared via video-link at Burwood Local Court on Wednesday where they didn’t apply for bail and it was formally refused by magistrate Louise McManus.
Nathan Kelly appeared from Silverwater Correctional Complex while Christopher McLaughlin appeared via video link from Long Bay Prison Hospital.
The pair will next appear in court on March 6th.
Meanwhile, the family of Paul Tavelardis have paid tribute to the popular grand-father of nine who was battling leukemia.
His son Bradley told The Daily Telegraph newspaper that he believes his dad had gone "walkabout" and may have been sleeping in his car at the time of the attack.
He said: “He loved to travel, that was his indigenous side, he loved to go, as we say, “walkabout”.
“Every two or three years he would save enough money, buy a sedan and go out into the desert and sleep in the back of his car.”
His son Bradley also told The Daily Telegraph that his family hold no animosity towards the families of the two Irishmen accused of killing him.
It was reported that both Irish families have made contact with the Tavelardis family in recent days. He said: “The families of the two boys, they would be going through a lot of hardship as well.”