The Thomas Kelly case: why a ‘one-punch law’ is not the answer

Last July, Sydney teenager Thomas Kelly was king-hit and killed by Kieran Loveridge in a senseless act of alcohol-fuelled violence. When Loveridge pleaded guilty to manslaughter in September, expectations were high that he would receive a hefty prison term. However, the sentence of four years minimum jail – handed down last Friday – sparked immediate outrage. While Loveridge was in fact sentenced to a total of six years for Kelly’s manslaughter and seven years and two months when the other assaults committed the same night were included, the punishment still didn’t seem like it had fit the crime. A sense that the system had failed a grieving family has ignited a debate over whether a “one-punch law” should be enacted in NSW.