FAR too many lives have been lost with just one punch.
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Far too many parents have buried their children as a result of a single punch to the head.
And far too many perpetrators have forever had their lives changed after a king hit.
Ballarat families have not been immune from what has been rightly labelled a coward’s punch.
So the news that this week the state government will introduce tough new sentencing laws that will see people who kill with a single punch jailed for a mandatory 10 years is a welcome move.
The law will give Victoria the toughest “one-punch” legislation in Australia and goes a step further than New South Wales’ eight-year mandatory sentence introduced earlier this year. And under the new anti-violence crackdown, anyone convicted of manslaughter in a gang attack will also have to serve a decade behind bars.
Premier Denis Napthine said the laws were designed to stop “unspeakable acts of cowardice” and would send a strong message that violence would not be tolerated.
The new regime will see anyone who punches or strikes someone in the head without warning, causing their death, to be guilty of manslaughter with a 10-year statutory minimum non-parole period. The 10-year sentence under the new Victorian law will apply whether the death is caused by the punch, or by the person striking their head as they fall.
This new law, coupled with night club lock-outs and stricter conditions in night club precincts, will go a long way to hopefully alleviating the number of coward punches that often result from alcohol-fuelled street violence and an over-abundance of testosterone.
There is no excuse for such violence on our streets. And would-be offenders who intentionally go out looking for a fight must realise there are now serious consequences to their actions. Hopefully they will think twice before throwing a punch.
The introduction of the new law reflects society’s view on the issue ... we have all had enough of violence on our streets. We should be able to walk our streets without fear of violence.
The Victorian government is now taking a stand against this sort of sheer thuggery and saying enough is enough.