Irish man in Australian court over assault on his brother

An Irish man who was allegedly assaulted by his brother in Sydney in January says he has made a “fantastic recovery”.

Speaking after a brief court hearing on Thursday, Patrick Lyttle (31) also said he wanted the case against his brother Barry to be dealt with quickly so that "we can all just go home" to Co Antrim.

Barry Lyttle (33) allegedly punched his brother in the head during a minor disagreement in the Kings Cross entertainment district at around 3am on January 3rd, causing Patrick to fall backwards and hit his head on the pavement.

After the alleged assault, Patrick Lyttle was taken to the nearby St Vincent’s Hospital and, following surgery, was on life support for six days before regaining consciousness.

Patrick Lyttle was not wearing the cap that he has previously used to cover his head in court.

Barry Lyttle is seeking to have the charge against him of recklessly causing grievous bodily harm downgraded following his brother’s apparent recovery.

The brothers have attended court together over the past three months and Patrick Lyttle says he wants the charges against Barry dropped.

Barry Lyttle's solicitor, Christopher Watson, has been negotiating with the prosecution over the charge. However, on Thursday morning the prosecutor said he had just received new evidence from police that he needed to examine before making a decision.

Mr Watson said this evidence consisted of medical reports showing that Patrick Lyttle had recovered fully from his injuries and would experience no long-term health effects.

Patrick Lyttle had been travelling around Australia since last June and met his brother and their father in Sydney in late December.

He is still subject to bail conditions including reporting to the police once a week, surrendering his passport, a AU$2,000 (€1,435) surety and not approaching his brother within 12 hours of consuming alcohol.

The case will return to court on April 16th.