Cian English: Disturbing details are emerging about what three Eshayers did after a 19-year-old boy fell to his death from a four-story balcony in Surfers Paradise

The three men who ruthlessly tortured a man before he fell to his death from a fourth-floor balcony during a drug party will each spend less than a decade behind bars, a court has heard.

Cian John English, 19, died after falling from the fourth floor of the View Pacific Resort in Surfers Paradise on May 23, 2020.

What should have been a fun evening with friends quickly turned into tragedy when Mr. English and a pal were tortured and assaulted for 27 minutes in the fourth-floor hotel room directly above their room.

Cian English died after falling from a balcony on the Gold Coast in May 2020. Image provided

English was only 19 years old. His grieving family says: “We will never see him get married, never see his children, who could have been anything.”

Lachlan Paul Soper-Lagas, 21, Jason Ryan Knowles, 25, and Hayden Paul Kratzmann, 23, have each pleaded guilty to Mr English’s manslaughter.

The court was told Mr English and his friend were invited to his room by Kratzmann after the two groups began chatting on their respective balconies.

The men then continued to take a cocktail of prescription and non-prescription medications while partying.

Crown prosecutor Caroline Marco said things changed just before 2am when Kratzmann began accusing Mr English and his friend of stealing the drugs.

Mr English and his friend, who had protested their innocence, were then attacked, intimidated, taunted and threatened with a knife for an hour.

Mr English fell from the fourth floor balcony of The View Pacific Resort in Surfers Paradise

The court was told Mr English was also stabbed in the arm, although it is not clear by whom.

The court was told it was an acquaintance of Kratzmann’s who was later charged with drug possession.

Some of the abuse was captured on video by two teenage women whose charges are still pending in court.

Ms Marco said the three men spent time “causing pain and suffering” to Mr English and his friend.

To escape the attacks, Mr English ran onto the balcony after realizing it was unlikely he would make it safely to the front door, the court was told.

Ms Marco said: “Most likely he tried to climb to the ground under which his unit was and fell.”

“They all threatened and intimidated Mr English (and his friend) and encouraged the others,” Ms Marco said.

“This forced him to attempt to escape by climbing over the balcony and falling to his death.”

Cian English had checked into the Surfers Paradise hotel hours before his death.

The court was told the three men did not help Mr English and instead packed their bags and left the apartment 16 minutes after he fell.

Kratzmann later made a triple-0 call and told the operator that he had seen someone on the ground in front of the apartment while riding his bike, but did not provide his name or phone number.

Mr English was pronounced dead by paramedics at 3.53am.

The court was told the trio stole another man’s shoes, belt, wallet, bag and Apple AirPods.

They were later seen carrying the victims’ clothing or property and photos were posted on social media.

Kratzmann later also drew “rough graffiti about the incident with the deceased on a pole” at a train station before his arrest.

Ms Marco suggested that Kratzmann and Knowles should be sentenced to 11 years in prison, while Soper-Lagas, who had no previous convictions, should receive nine years.

Kratzmann’s attorney, Tim Ryan, said his client expressed a desire to “go back in time and correct his mistakes.”

Knowles’ lawyer, Damian Walsh, said the 25-year-old had written to the court explaining the consequences he “now has to live with” after that fatal night.

Mr Walsh said his client would never “forgive himself” and expressed deep regret despite the prosecution’s objections.

The court was told Ms Marco had objected to Knowles’ description of the evening as an “accident” in his letter to the court.

However, Mr Walsh explained that his client had poor reading and writing skills and was remorseful.

The court was also told that 32 personal references had been submitted on Soper-Lagas’ behalf, detailing how the 21-year-old had donated his time to help neighbors whose homes were destroyed in 2022 while he was in custody Deposits were flooded.

Soper-Lagas’ lawyer Jack Kennedy said the last thing his client thought of when he fell asleep was Mr English’s face and that it was “the first thing he thinks of when he wakes up in the morning”.

“He has taken real and tangible steps towards rehabilitation and has not taken drugs since (on bail),” Kennedy said.

The Crown accepted the three men’s guilty pleas and withdrew their original murder charges.

Crown prosecutor Caroline Marco accepted the guilty plea to manslaughter

The three men also pleaded guilty on Thursday to two counts of armed robbery in company, two counts of torture and one count of theft.

Kratzmann also pleaded guilty to a separate offense: entering a building with the intent to commit a crime.

Chief Justice Helen Bowskill sentenced Kratzmann and Knowles to nine years and six months in prison.

Both men are eligible for parole after six years of service.

Soper-Lagas was sentenced to eight years in prison, with parole after three years and three months served.

Judge Bowskill said she found that Soper-Lagas did not physically harm Mr English and his friend, but threatened them while armed with a knife and encouraged his friends to continue their attack on the couple.

She said Soper-Lagas was “emotionally immature, which may explain why you agreed with Kratzmann and Knowles.”

She said the three men adopted a “pack mentality” in their behavior that fateful night.

Supporters of Soper-Lagas, Knowles and Kratzmann in court

Judge Bowskill said while Kratzmann was the “instigator”, the other two men were responsible for their part in the couple’s physical and mental abuse.

She said she discovered that Kratzmann was the one who stabbed Mr English in the arm, but that the 19-year-old felt he had no choice but to flee from the trio by trying to cross the balcony to climb.

“I am certain now, almost three and a half years later… you all deeply regret your actions and have now accepted responsibility by pleading guilty,” Judge Bowskill said.

“I can only hope it pierced your heart and made you realize the enormity of your actions, which you can use in the future.”

She said the three men’s behavior was “despicable” and callous towards Mr English and his friend.

“(Mr English was) a young man who was deeply loved by his family and friends, who suffered unimaginable grief and pain as a result of his death, compounded by the terrible circumstances in which it occurred,” said Judge Bowsil.

“Through your behavior you also caused serious, particularly psychological, harm to a second young person.”

Andrew Bale, Knowles’ lawyer, said outside court: “It’s a tragedy on many levels.”