System is ‘laughed at’
Meet the dad running one-man campaign for tougher coward punch laws
THE simple sign held by Surfers Paradise dad Craig Dight on the side of the Gold Coast Highway has a simple message – stop the coward punches.
The barista took to the streets this week, campaigning to have penalties for coward punches increased.
His efforts may be in vain with the state government saying there are already adequate provisions under the current law.
Mr Dight’s campaign comes after Coomera man Caleb Maraku, 19, was sentenced to 18 months probation for a shocking onepunch attack in Surfers Paradise last November which knocked Taliesin O’Meara unconscious and left him hospitalised.
The Queensland Police Service are still considering if they will appeal the sentence and have until mid next month to lodge any potential action.
“I really would like to see the justice system up its penalties from what they are doing,” Mr Dight said.
Mr Dight said Maraku’s jovial behaviour outside the courthouse following his sentence showed the current penalties were not working.
“Now people are just laughing at the system,” he said.
Mr Dight said part of his motivation was seeing three friends become the victims of coward punch attacks.
“It’s quite shocking to think one minute they are standing next to you and the next they are on a stretcher,” he said.
Under current law there is an aggravated offence for a one-punch attacks which result in death.
Surfers Paradise MP JohnPaul Langbroek said the law did not need to change around coward punches but action did need to be taken.
“We just need judges and magistrates that give proper penalties that reflect community expectations,” he said.
Potts Lawyers director Bill Potts said there were already serious penalties available to the court.
He said mandatory sentencing should not be introduced as it was difficult to make “one size fits all”.
“Who can say what is worse, a single punch or someone who punches someone ten times,” he said.
A spokeswoman for Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath said violent offences were already extensively covered in the Criminal Code.
“A person convicted of grievous bodily harm is liable to be imprisoned for 14 years,” she said.