Chesterfield mum calling for more education about One Punch assaults
In 2016 - Yvonne Henchliffe's son died after being punched
A Chesterfield mum is wanting to raise awareness about the devastating impacts a one punch assault can have on families.
In 2016 - Yvonne Henchliffe's son died after being punched after a night out: "Everybody becomes a victim, whether somebody unfortunately like my son dies or whether somebody's left with a really serious brain injury, which is happening all the time.
"The impact is life long, it's as simple as that, it's life long. It affects children of the victim, the parents of the victim, the siblings of the victim, the best friends of the victim, the grandparents of the victim, and also the person who did it."
Yvonne has this advice for people heading out for a drink: "Know the consequences. The clubs.. lets have posters up, you don't have the consequences up on the wall.
"Nobody's saying don't have a drink, don't have a fun but you just cross a line, and it's when you cross that line you need somebody there to pat someone on the shoulder and say 'come on mate it's time to go home'.
"You just need some water in-between... have a soft drink in between, just so you can enjoy your night and not wake up not knowing what you've done."
Yvonne is also calling for a new law which'll help bring justice to families who have lost loved ones to manslaughter.
After Chris' killer pleaded not guilty to manslaughter, Yvonne said the legal process, prolonged their suffering and prevented closure:
"The grief and pain were overwhelming, forever changing my life and leaving an everlasting void in our family. However, what made this unbearable situation even worse was the prolonged legal process that followed."
"Boys go out, boys fight, we get that. If he'd have pleaded guilty right in the beginning, right on the onset, it would have made so much difference to us."
"We couldn't grieve, the defence had got his body, the prosecution got his body and they were going to and forth and then they decided they wanted his body again."
Chris' killer was later found guilty.
Yvonne's now proposing 'Victims Law', which will add 3 to 5 years to a manslaughter sentence when someone enters a false plea:
"By doing so, we can ensure that those who choose deception over accountability face appropriate consequences while providing some measure of compensation for victims' families who endure additional suffering due to prolonged legal processes.
"This proposed legislation is not intended as revenge but rather seeks fairness and justice for all parties involved in cases where lives are unjustly taken. It is crucial to note that the additional years added to the sentence would only be applicable when a false plea of not guilty is proven beyond a reasonable doubt."
The online campaign - which started last month - has almost reached 500 signatures.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "This was a tragic crime and our thoughts remain with Chris Henchcliffe’s family and friends.
"The independent judges who decide sentences already take into account a defendant’s guilty plea when making these decisions, with up to a third reduction for those who spare victims the agony of coming to court.”