Warnings to be careful across the North East on New Year's Eve
Police are expecting a busy night
There are warnings to be careful if we are planning a night out around the North East and Teesside tonight ahead of New Year's Eve.
The region's police forces are expecting a busy evening, as North East charity One Punch UK continue their campaign by sharing the damage one punch violence can do.
It is led by Maxine Thompson-Curl, whose son died after a single punch on a night out in County Durham. She said: "Right at the beginning before my Christian was hit, I didn't even know that one punch could cause that damage. I'd never heard of it. It's shocking isn't it to think that your hand could do that to somebody, that you could punch somebody and sometimes they'll fall and hit their head off the floor or sometimes the punch can kill you outright.
"Even if it stops one person from throwing the punch or receiving that punch because we do talk about the victim and the support out there, but that perpetrator's life is going to be absolutely damaged the same as what the victim's is, and that perpetrator's family is going to be devastated like we are.
"You just need your loved ones, the ones you care about, to know how important to say 'stay safe, know your limitations and look out for each other when you're out there. It's been a tough nine or 10 years and I was desperate to tell people about Christian's story. He was a cricketer and a footballer. He was fit, healthy and funny as can be. He would have had a wonderful life."
Phil Carter is from Durham Police, he said: "Yes, enjoy yourself but be aware of what your actions can cause; whether it be the suspect side of things or the victim side of things, both can be tragic. This campaign highlights that.
"People understand their limits but there's always one or two that can spoil the party and that's what the campaign is about, just to have that knowledge and thought process before going out and hopefully preventing these things."