WhatsNew2Day – Latest News And Breaking Headlines
Parents of a young man who died from a fall from a fourth-floor balcony while trying to flee three men who were torturing him have expressed grief that their son’s life was taken from him.
Lachlan Paul Soper-Lagas, 21, Jason Ryan Knowles, 25, and Hayden Paul Kratzmann, 23, each pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Cian John English.
The Crown accepted each guilty plea and withdrew the original murder charge when the case came before the Brisbane Supreme Court on Thursday.
Mr. English, 19, died after falling from the fourth floor of the View Pacific resort in Surfers Paradise on May 23, 2020.
Cian English died after falling from a balcony on the Gold Coast in May 2020
English was only 19 years old. His grieving family say: ‘We will never see him get married, we will never know his children who could have been anything’
He had settled into the holiday apartment with a group of friends ready to take advantage of the weekend to party, we learned in court.
Kratzmann, Knowles and Soper-Lagas had also checked into the same hotel and were staying in a fourth-floor apartment, directly above Mr. English’s apartment.
The court was told that the two groups of friends started chatting while each was on their respective balconies.
During their conversation, Kratzmann invited Mr. English and his friend to the fourth-floor apartment where he offered them prescription and over-the-counter medications.
Crown Prosecutor Caroline Marco said the two groups of friends were “friendly” and continued to party together in the fourth-floor apartment.
She said “that changed between 1:44 a.m. and 2:50 a.m.” when Kratzmann began accusing Mr. English and his friend of stealing the drugs.
The court heard that although the drugs were missing, “an associate of Kratzmann” had stolen them without his knowledge.
Ms Marco said that over the next 27 minutes the three men then began to threaten and assault Mr English and his friend, with the violence towards the two men “escalating” over time.
The court heard that Mr English and his friend had been physically and mentally abused by the three men at different times, “inflicting pain and suffering on them”.
At one point, Mr. English was pushed face down against the couch and Kratzmann punched him in the back.
They were also threatened with knives, with Mr English’s friend even being struck over the head with the butt of a knife at one point.
Ms Marco said Mr English then ran to the balcony in a bid to flee the men in the flat after realizing he was unlikely to make it to the front door safely.
She said it was “most likely that he tried to go down to the floor his unit was below and fell”.
“They each threatened and intimidated Mr English (and his friend) and encouraged the others,” Ms Marco said.
Mr. English fell from the fourth floor balcony of the View Pacific Resort in Surfers Paradise
“It forced him to seek escape by climbing the balcony and falling to his death.”
The court heard the three men did not help Mr English, instead packing their bags and leaving the flat 16 minutes after he fell.
Ms Marco said Kratzmann called triple 0 at 3:14 a.m. to tell the operator he was riding his bike and saw someone on the ground outside the apartment, but that he lied about his name and phone number.
Mr English was pronounced dead by paramedics at 3.53am.
His family explained to the court how deeply the young man’s death had marked them.
His father, Vincent English, explained how the loss of his “cheeky smile” son continues to haunt him every day.
“No one should ever have to do this, there are no words to explain what we went through for the rest of our lives,” said Vincent English.
“They took our son, took away his future and darkened the future of those who loved and adored him.
“We will never see him get married, we will never know his children who could have been anything.
“He was so good at sports and full of life, no matter what he tried, he wasn’t afraid of a challenge.
“He was a magnet, he drew people to him, he incredibly knew what was going on and he helped people.”
The 19-year-old’s mother, Siobhan English, said she continues to deal with the painful loss of her son.
“The heartbreaking pain and haunting nightmares of seeing my beautiful boy broken and covered in bandages is an image that will never leave my mind,” she said.
“An entire generation has been changed forever. »
The court heard of the grief felt by the English family, with many of those still residing in Ireland unable to attend the 19-year-old’s funeral due to Covid restrictions.
Her uncle, Trevor Webster, said his family’s grief over missing the funeral would never end.
“Cian’s passing has left a huge void in the family that will never be filled,” Mr Webster said.
“His grandparents visit his grave three times a day so he won’t be alone.”
Mr English’s friend, who was also assaulted overnight, told the court how much he continues to suffer every day since losing his ‘best friend’.
He spoke of the “sleepless nights” he still endures and the impact of the physical and mental abuse he suffered which continues to impact his daily life.
The three men also pleaded guilty each to two counts of armed robbery in company, two counts of torture and one count of robbery.
The court heard the trio stole another man’s shoes, belt, wallet, bag and Apple AirPods.
Mr. Kratzmann also pleaded guilty to a separate offense of entering a premises with intent to commit an offence.
Ms Marco argued that Kratzmann and Knowles should be sentenced to 11 years in prison while Soper-Lagas should be sentenced to nine years in prison.
The three men will be sentenced on Friday.