Consequences of stupidity can be felt far and wide

Going for a few drinks in town, particularly at festive times of year, is a popular pastime for many of us.

It’s a chance to relieve the stress of the weekly nine to five, catch up with friends and meet new people.

But whether you’re personally drinking alcohol or not, being in that urban nighttime environment can spark horrifying scenes, as two cases heard in court this week prove so devastatingly.

A teenage boy admitted killing dad-of-three Wayne Chester with one punch, while Mark Storey was also sentenced for brutally attacking a man with a single blow, in a devastating attack that left him with catastrophic brain damage.

It led a judge to say Storey behaved in “a cowardly way”, and he is now spending some 21 months behind bars as a result of the scuffle.

But it’s the victim whose life has been completely ruined by the attack - a young, fit Navy hopeful who now has to resign himself to knowing he won’t be able to fulfil the exciting dreams he had when growing up.

Take a moment also to think about both family’s loved ones - dealing with bereavement and those who have had to make a number of sacrifices already to help look Mr Storey’s victim day-to-day, and will continue to do so just because two men couldn’t control themselves.

So often while out on the town, we see emotions run high and tempers flare, and it’s up to all of us to be responsible and vigilant to ensure we don’t see any more cases like these in the future.

The knock-on effects of such incidents are felt far and wide - hopefully these cases will make people think more carefully about the consequences.