Family of one punch attack victim backs calls for tougher sentencing

A Mam, who lost her son after a one punch attack in a nightclub in County Durham, is backing calls for harsher punishments for the crime.

Maxine Thompson's 19-year-old son Kristian died back in 2011 after he suffered a catastrophic brain injury.

The man who attacked him served an eight month prison sentence for the crime.

It comes as the action group One Punch North East visit Parliament to get tougher sentencing guidelines in place.

Speaking to TFM, Maxine said that support for victims and families has to be improved:

"It's an insult- an absolute insult.

"To this day, nearly seven years since my Kristian died and I still don't have justice for him. On his death certificate, it says that Kristian most likely died of the brain injury from the one punch attack - but it doesn't say for definite.

"For many other people there is no justice - it's horrendous when you lose somebody, but when you lose them to a one punch assault, there is no justice.

"And even if they do survive, they're surviving out there with a catastrophic brain injury - they're a totally different person and there are no services and no support."

One Punch North East say they're lobbying parliament for a full parliamentary debate on improving sentencing guidelines - and have started a petition on the parliamentary website to make that debate even more likely.

You can sign that petition here.