Not guilty on fatal brawl charge
A MAN has been acquitted of killing Murwillumbah man Andrew Houlahan in a drunken brawl outside a Gold Coast hamburger bar.
A Brisbane Supreme Court jury took less than five hours to find Mark Leslie Fitzgerald, 22, not guilty of manslaughter.
Mr Houlahan died after being punched in the head outside the Big Chief hamburger bar at Coolangatta in the early hours of September 6, 2009.
The fight erupted after members of Mr Houlahan's group accused Fitzgerald's friends of being “emos” and “faggots from Sydney” because of their tight jeans.
In a nine-day trial, the jury was told Fitzgerald had delivered the fatal punch.
However Fitzgerald told police he had simply been trying to defend himself and his friends in an all-in brawl.
“They're throwing punches at me and I'm trying to stop them throwing punches at me and get them away from me,” he said during a police interview.
The court was told he did not realise what had happened until he saw surveillance footage of the incident.
His reaction on seeing the fight was recorded by police and played during the trial.
The jury watched as Fitzgerald burst into tears and buried his head in his hands.
“I'm so sorry, I didn't know I hit him,” he told police.
Fitzgerald looked relieved and hugged ecstatic friends and family members as the verdict was read out in court yesterday afternoon.
Mr Houlahan's death devastated his home town of Murwillumbah, where he attended Mt St Patrick College.
More than 1000 people paid their re- spects at his funeral.
Before his death, Mr Houlahan had bought his first home at Koala Beach, near Pottsville – a townhouse where he lived with two friends.
He had just started a career as a builder and was close to qualifying for his builder's licence.
