Man convicted of Mullingar killing on run in Australia

A Kildare man found guilty of killing of a student on a Christmas night out in Mullingar nearly 11 years ago is on the run in Australia.

New South Wales police want to question Patrick Farrell (29) in connection with a recent incident in Sydney during which a man’s ear was nearly severed, and a one punch assault of a 56 year old man in a beer garden last year.

In 2013, Farrell was sentenced to three year and half years in jail for the manslaughter of Carrick-on-Shannon native Andrew Dolan (21). The NUIG student was the victim of an unprovoked attack on Pearse Street on December 23, 2011 and died in Beaumont Hospital on January 1, 2012.

Two other young people were also convicted of assaulting Mr Dolan, a former of student at Wilson’s Hospital in Multyfarnham.

Speaking to the Irish Times, Mr Dolan’s mother Rose said that it was a “hundred times worse” to think that the assault on her son was not a once off incident.

“I liked to think that it was somebody who went too far that night, someone who had never done that before and would never do it again. That made it a bit easier to accept.”

His father, Joe, said that his family were horrified to hear the news that their son’s killer appears to have been involved in other assaults.

“I am angry because no lessons have been learned and because unfortunately other people now have suffered catastrophic injuries . It should not have happened,” said Mr Dolan

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph newspaper in Australia, Mr Dolan questioned how Farrell was allowed to enter Australia. “We are shocked and appalled, these allegations are very serious. We wonder how he got to Australia in the first place and hope that justice will be delivered appropriately.”