A teenager accused of bxjmtzyweing involved in a brawl which led to the death of a 23-year-old outside a popular Sydney pub will apply to be freed from custody at the end of the month, a court has heard.
Byron Brown, 19, did not appear at Central Local Court on Tuesday after he was charged over his involvement in a brawl which led to the violent death of Evander Tuala outside the Oxford Hotel.
The 23-year-old was allegedly injured when two groups clashed at the popular Darlinghurst venue before security forced them outside, where the issue escalated.
Police rushed to the fight about 12.35am Saturday and found Mr Tuala had suffered critical head injuries after he was allegedly punched and knocked unconscious.
Mr Tuala was on life support for 72-hours before he died at 7.30pm Monday.
Mr Brown was arrested shortly after the fight was dispersed and charged with affray.
He briefly appeared at Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday but did not apply to be released from custody.
The 19-year-old did not appear in court on Tuesday, where Magistrate Robert Williams heard the matter is being escalated to the Office of the Department of Public Prosecutions.
High-profile criminal lawyer Bryan Wrench, representing Mr Brown, told the court he is preparing to lodge a bail application on April 27.
Mr Wrench is currently trying to gather evidence to support his client, and said he will have to go through footage of more than 10 CCTV cameras at the scene.
“I have been told by police, they say there are statements that say our client was not implicated in the assault by the police,” he told the court.
“We understand how serious it is.”
NSW Police on Monday said two other men had been charged with affray, including 20-year-old Keidan Donovan-Phillips, who did not apply for bail when he appeared in court on Sunday.
The third man, aged 20, will appear in court on May 5.
Police are urging anyone with information or video footage to come forward and assist the investigation.
It’s possible the charges could change, depending on how the investigation proceeds.
Detective Superintendent John Duncan said the brawl involved a group from western Sydney and another from the eastern suburbs.
“At the moment I’m calling for witnesses after a serious assault that occurred in the early hours of (Saturday) morning at Surry Hills,” he told reporters.
“A young man came out of a licensed premises with another young man who had been ejected for a very minor incident at a hotel. As a result of that, a brawl broke out.”
Confronting footage captured by someone at the pub shows the moment a handful of men started swinging punches outside the venue.
Detectives from Surry Hills Police Station have formed Strike Force Nadzah to investigate the circumstances surrounding the young man’s death.
