Grieving dad seeks tougher mandatory sentences for boozed up one-punch killers Paul Stanley, with a photograph of his son Matthew who was 15 when he was fatally king hit. Picture: Darren England Source: News Limited A FATHER who lost his teenage son to alcohol-fuelled violence has called on the Newman Government to introduce tough mandatory minimum sentences for offenders who kill with a single punch. Paul Stanley's son Matthew, 15, died in 2006 after he was king hit at a Redlands 18th birthday party, southeast of Brisbane. He suffered a fatal blow to the head when he fell to the ground. Mr Stanley, who has since established the Matthew Stanley Foundation, said there had been no justice for his son because the boy who stole his life had served only half of the five-year sentence he was handed after pleading guilty to manslaughter. "Nothing can bring Matthew back but that boy murdered my son and I would love to see the law administered the way it's supposed to be," he said. He took my son's life and basically those of his family. I'm not all about punishment because we are trying to educate people through the foundation, but these people put my son in a grave. While there are heavy penalties for murder and manslaughter charges in Queensland, the frequent involvement of alcohol in one punch cases that appear before court creates difficulties for prosecutors trying to prove the offences. NSW is set to introduce one-punch laws in the New Year that NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell said should be easier for prosecutors to prove. But Mr Stanley said Mr O'Farrell was simply "grandstanding." "He's proposing up to 20 years in jail when manslaughter carries a 25-year sentence," he said. At the very least, we should have mandatory sentences for our current laws. Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie said the Newman Government was examining the state's liquor laws first but did not rule out taking a tougher stance on one-punch deaths. "If we need to further toughen our penalties then we will, but the broader issue of our dangerous binge drinking culture also needs to be tackled," Mr Bleijie said. We are also currently considering recommendations from an expert panel regarding our liquor laws and no decisions have been made yet. Last weekend, Sunshine Coast man Wayne Dover, 45, was fatally bashed outside a Maroochydore nightclub and two schoolies were seriously assaulted at Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast in November. Research released earlier this week by the Monash University and the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine found 90 Australians have been killed by king hits since 2000. The study found almost three-quarters of reported cases involved alcohol and not always in combination with other drugs. "Alcohol lobbyists argue that most incidents are caused when alcohol is combined with other drugs, but this study actually negates that and will perhaps put pressure on them," lead author Dr Jennifer Pilgrim said. Changes need to be made to Australia's drinking culture and its attitude towards violence. It will take time, but we've done it before with smoking. Dr Pilgrim said the problem was probably "bigger" in reality than reflected by the study because the paper did not capture cases still before the courts, under investigation by the coroner or that did not result in a fatality. Royal Brisbane Hospital maxillofacial surgeon Dr Anthony Lynham said last year, 91,000 people presented themselves to emergency rooms around Queensland with injuries caused by alcohol. Specifically, about 500 facial reconstructions were required and on average 75 per cent of those injuries were received in alcohol-fuelled incidents. "The statistics are mind-boggling and we need a two-pronged approach to this issue," said Dr Lynham, who is also chairman of the newly formed Queensland Coalition for Action on Alcohol. The alcohol lobby carries a lot of political influence so we need a government that is strong enough to take them on and introduce tougher responsible service of alcohol legislation and penalties for people who get drunk and act out. Posters on the back of bathroom doors and glitzy ad campaigns are not working.