Strong support for ‘coward punch’ bill
Northland MP Matt King’s bill for tougher punishments for offenders who ‘sucker punch’ unwitting victims causing death has the backing of boxing champion Joseph Parker and a victim’s family.
King’s Crimes (Coward Punch Causing Death) Amendment Bill has a chance of becoming law after it was drawn from the ballot at Parliament on September 6.
The former police officer said he wants to bring attention to the offence and plans to start a ‘One Punch Can Kill’ campaign.
King said the bill would provide another sentencing option for judges with the offence sitting between grievous bodily harm and manslaughter, making it easier to hold offenders accountable and providing for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
‘‘My bill would create a new offence of Assault Causing Death relating to a punch thrown at an unsuspecting victim who dies from injuries sustained in the attack. The offence would be easier to prove than manslaughter,’’ he said.
King said he spoke to Joseph Parker’s trainer Kevin Barry on Tuesday asking if Parker would consider fronting the campaign. Parker said it was a ‘‘good idea’’ and he supported the campaign and the bill.
Parker’s promoter, Duco Events director David Higgins agreed, saying ‘‘it sounds like a worthy campaign’’.
‘‘It’s very true, one punch can kill and you shouldn’t be punching people other than in self defence,’’ Higgins said.
Ana Iongi – whose partner Reginald Sharma died after a single punch at an Auckland party in August 2017 – said she was ‘‘100 per cent’’ behind the bill.
Sharma was 25 when he died and Iongi was seven months pregnant with their son Reg, who is now nearly one years old.
The man accused of causing his death was charged with manslaughter and found not guilty by a jury in August.
Iongi said she was ‘‘absolutely shattered’’ when she heard the verdict read out.
‘‘It’s not OK for people to go around punching people then someone getting killed.
‘‘It doesn’t help the fact the person we’ve lost isn’t coming back but it [a tougher sentence] would have given us justice. Then we know someone was accountable and they’d gone away [to jail] for it.’’
The bill was prompted because of an assault in Kerikeri, where a 60-year-old man was punched in the head by a much bigger man about 15 years ago.
King, who was a police officer at the time and was involved in the investigation, said the victim fell from the punch, hit his head on a bar leaner and died.
‘‘I thought how one punch thrown by a big bully ended his life and what a waste that was,’’ he said.
‘‘[The offender] was sentenced to three years and he probably did a third of that. He killed a guy with a punch and he served a year.
‘‘If that was my son or family member I’d be gutted with that.’’