“How many boys or how many of our children have to die before somebody does something to change these laws to make people accountable for what they do?”
Last Friday Kathy Kelly and her husband were clearly shocked at the sentence handed down to their son’s killer.
Today they might feel some small element of comfort at the news that Kieran Loveridge’s four-year jail term will be appealed against in the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal.
Kathy Kelly’s son, Thomas was a victim of a horrific crime. One that shocked the nation with its instantaneous brutality.
An alcohol fueled king hit.
Thomas was eighteen years old, and out for a night in Kings Cross.
It was early in the night and he was minding his own business. A heavily intoxicated and violent 19-year-old named Kieran Loveridge punched him to the head with a “king hit”.
The court heard that Loveridge, fuelled by several cans of Smirnoff double black vodka drinks and shots, prowled Kings Cross and told a friend “I swear I’m going to bash someone.”
Thomas went down, his head striking the pavement causing massive brain damage.
His Mother spoke about the final hours of his life in a speech at the launch of a foundation in his name aimed at stopping alcohol-fueled violence.
“He was very cold, he had his head shaved and there was a very large bandage that said ‘no bone’ on the front of his skull. That’s a very confronting thing to see when your 18-year-old son is lying there and you don’t know what the outcome is going to be.
We were told that we would have to turn off Thomas’ life support.
A lot of media said we made that decision but we didn’t make that decision. It was made for us when Thomas was punched.
At the very final hours of the day, on a Monday, we gathered together, just the four of us, and we just said goodbye to Thomas in our own way. It’s hard enough for Ralph and I as Thomas’ parents, but for his brother and sister seeing their beautiful big brother die in front of them was a very difficult thing to face and I’m sure it will affect them for the rest of their life.”
Police charged Loveridge with murder. In March this year, he offered to plead guilty to manslaughter.
It was naturally expected that he would receive a hefty prison term. However, the sentence of four years minimum jail handed down last Friday sparked immediate outrage from his family, friends, the media and politicians.
Top Comments
This was a lenient sentence at the lower-end of the spectrum for manslaughter, and I agree that it should be appealed by the DPP for a more reflective term (and most certainly in preference to hasty, unnecessary state-government laws). However I get concerned when society focuses on punishment alone, with little mention of rehabilitation.
Looking at Loveridge's record, social upbringing and alcohol problems he was a violent crime waiting to happen. There needs to be intervention in young people such as him along the way, at those early 'minor' offences, to create connections with the community and prevent these violent crimes from occurring.
I sincerely hopes he receives alcohol treatment and education/training in prison, otherwise he will come out with even less connecting him to society and likely to re-offend in an even worse capacity.
While I believe that 4 years is inadequate, don't discount the harsh time he we get in gaol. He is young, so he'll be raped. More than once too. He will be forced to give oral sex and he will be anally raped. Them's the facts about spending time in the big house.
Would anyone think it was ok to put a woman in a place like that?
Unfortunately I don't have the answers, he took a life, but does he deserve to be fucked up the arse against his will every day for 4 years?
Whaaaat?
Um, since when do prisoners get fucked up the arse every single day? And I doubt it's a fact that he'll be forced to give oral sex and he will be anally raped
Not sure a NSW prison is exactly like an episode of sons of anarchy
No, he deserves it for about 20 years and at least after that he still has his life, and given that life is all we have, I would continue to consider him a luckier fellow than Thomas. Poor Thomas.