IT’S been more than four years since Thomas Kelly was killed by a coward punch, but despite harsh laws and minimum sentences we’re still seeing cases of these disgusting attacks.
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On Saturday night, a 34-year-old Ashmont man became yet another victim of extreme violence, meeting his maker in a hotel car park.
While this case has yet to go through the courts, there are many things all of these cases have in common: An extreme burst of rage resulting in a life ended and countless others changed forever.
Thomas Kelly’s girlfriend watched as her boyfriend was punched in the head by a drunken stranger, unable or unwilling to control his aggression.
Six weeks after Kelly’s killer was jailed, another 18-year-old was sent to the grave by an aggressive drunk at King’s Cross. This time it was Daniel Christie, whose only crime was trying to stop a powerfully-built martial artist from hitting a kid.
One of the worst cases was that of Graeme Wilton, a 56-year-old man from Orange who was travelling around Australia with his wife, Marlene. Mr Wilton had left a Central Coast caravan park for an evening walk when a trained kickboxer almost ran him over in his ute. Shocked, Mr Wilton banged his palms on the bonnet of the ute and in return, he was killed.
Again and again and again, unchecked aggression and an almost casual attitude to violence has killed people who had been minding their own business.
During the next few months, we’ll no doubt get a clearer picture of what happened at the Ashmont Inn on Saturday night, but there’s no question that unrestrained rage has had a huge impact.
Australian boxing champion Danny Green launched a powerful campaign against coward punches while Daniel Christie’s family was turning off their son’s life support. Almost three years later, it’s a message that has yet to get through to those who need to hear it the most.
There’s nothing wrong with having a drink, or training in combat sports. But if you’re the sort of person who loses his temper easily, or has a tendency to do things you regret while drunk, then perhaps those activities aren’t for you.
Because beyond the immediacy of the anger and the release of the violence are the years you’ll spend in jail, years wasted because of a stupid, cowardly decision made in a moment of weakness.