A single punch allegedly thrown by one brother at another has ripped through a holidaying family.
Irishman Barry Lyttle, 33, is in police custody and his younger brother Patrick is on life support following an alleged one-punch attack on a Sydney street.
Police said CCTV footage showed the brothers arguing on Bayswater Road, Potts Point, just before 3am on Saturday.
A punch was thrown and the younger brother keeled backwards and hit the footpath, police said.
Paramedics treated the 31-year-old brother before taking him to St Vincent's Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery.
His older sibling later appeared via video link at Parramatta Local Court, charged with recklessly causing grievous bodily harm.
When Magistrate Anthony Spence commented the victim was Lyttle's brother, the 33-year-old began to cry.
He did not apply for bail, and it was formally refused with the Irishman due to face Central Local Court on January 5.
Kings Cross Superintendent Michael Fitzgerald described the situation as a "family tragedy".
The men's father was in shock as he kept a bedside vigil at the hospital, he said.
"The pain in his eyes, you could not describe," Supt Fitzgerald told reporters.
"We have a father who is facing the reality of one son facing serious criminal charges, another son fighting for his life."
The victim remains on life support to release pressure from his brain.
The assault had nothing to do with lockout laws, and alcohol was not an aggravating factor, Supt Fitzgerald said.
It's believed the older brother and his father had flown in to visit Patrick Lyttle, who arrived in Sydney for a trip around Australia last June.
Share
