Vic man jailed for one-punch killing IT took one punch for a man to be killed and hundreds of lives to be damaged. Father of two Beau Lawson, 31, was knocked to the ground with a single blow by Scott Alan Parker outside a Melbourne hotel on November 29 last year. He died the following day. Parker had been released from prison just weeks earlier, and was still serving a suspended sentence for assault. Supreme Court of Victoria Justice Betty King said on Wednesday Mr Lawson had only been trying to placate Parker as he pursued an ex-girlfriend down a Carrum Downs street. "Beau Lawson did nothing except try to calm you down," she said. Your anger and rage have deprived this world of a good man. The ex-girlfriend and her friends had been dining in the pub bistro on the evening of the incident, but left to avoid confrontation after Parker made a comment about spitting in their food. Parker then followed the group as they left, and broke a car window with his fist as they tried to ignore him. The court was told Parker was shouting and swearing at his former partner when Mr Lawson tried to calm him down. Parker then punched Mr Lawson in the face, causing him to fall back and hit his head. Justice King said Parker should have known the damage that a single punch can cause. "One punch, one death follows," she said on Wednesday. One punch and hundreds of lives are damaged. Parker, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter and criminal damage, was sentenced to eight and a half years behind bars during Wednesday's hearing, with a non-parole period of six years, three months. In a letter of apology to Mr Lawson's family, the 26-year-old said he had been trying to protect himself when he lashed out. But Justice King said Parker needed to accept responsibility for his actions, and the underlying anger which caused them. "There was no basis, reasonable or otherwise, for your professed belief that Mr Lawson was about to strike or attack you," she said. Parker sat with his head bowed as his sentence was read to the court.