IRISH MAN BARRY Lyttle has pleaded guilty in Sydney to recklessly causing grievous bodily harm to his younger brother Patrick who was injured in a one-punch attack.

The altercation between the two brothers occurred in January and 31-year-old Patrick was placed on life support after being punched, falling backwards and hitting his head on the pavement. He was in a coma for a brief period but made what was described as a “fantastic recovery” and was released from hospital.

He has since expressed his wishes that the charges against Barry be dropped and attended court with him over the past number of months. Despite attempts to negotiate a lesser charge, The Sydney Morning Herald reports prosecutors decided to pursue their original charge and the 33-year-old agreed to plead guilty.

Prosecutors have agreed to allow sentencing to take place at the local court, however, where the maximum sentence he will face is two years in prison.

An expert on ‘restorative justice’ is expected to speak at the hearing today, to give evidence about the benefits of programmes to discourage offending, instead of time in prison.

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