In November, 2013 Keiran Loveridge was sentenced to a period of 5 years and 2 months imprisonment for the fatal one-punch attack against Thomas Kelly.

In the wage of unprecedented media attention and community backlash, that decision was appealed by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on the grounds that the sentence imposed was “manifestly inadequate”.

This month the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal upheld the DPP’s appeal, with Chief Justice Tom Bathurst, Justice Peter Johnson and Justice Robert Hulme finding that “the sentencing judge had made a number of specific errors. The first error found was a failure to take into account the need for general deterrence for this kind of offending”.

Loveridge’s sentence was increased to ten years and two months in prison, with a non-parole period of seven years.  Whilst still short of the maximum sentence of thirteen years and eight months which has been introduced by the NSW Government in the wake of increasing alcohol-fuelled violence in Sydney.

Loveridge was also re-sentenced for attacks on four other young men on the same night he assaulted Thomas Kelly.  He was sentenced to 9 months jail for assaulting Matthew Serrao, 11 months for assaulting Rhyse Saliba, 13 months for assaulting Aden Gazi and at least 16 months for the assault against Marco Compagnoni.  With time already served, Loveridge could remain behind bars until May 17, 2026.

For an update on any area of the law that may be of interest to you please contact Brazel Moore Lawyers on 4324 7699.