An Irish man, who pleaded guilty to causing €300,000 worth of damage to a Melbourne hotel, has been found dead in Australia, just one day after his court case.
The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Padraig Gaffney died yesterday but could not comment on the circumstances of his death. They said that they are providing consular assistance to the Gaffney family.
Originally from Lanesborough in Co. Longford, he appeared in court on Tuesday to face charges of criminal damage after turning on a fire hydrant in the Fraser Place Hotel.
Gaffney, who had travelled from Queensland to Melbourne ahead of his birthday celebrations and proposed to his then girlfriend, pleaded guilty and received a $10,000 fine over the incident that occurred in April 2013.
“This entire thing has ruined my life completely,” Gaffney said. “I’ve spent 10 years in Australia trying to better myself and in the space of one night everything can be taken away from you.
“People who go out for the night and drink too much can ruin themselves completely”.
Chief Judge Michael Rozenes said he could not see “where the evil lay” in Gaffney’s actions and concluded that it was something he would have not contemplated in soberiety.
