Tragic case of Kristian Thompson raised in Parliament as South Shields MP calls for tougher sentences for one-punch killers

The tragic case of a teenager who died after a one-punch attack has been raised in Parliament as an MP called for tougher sentences.
Emma Lewell-Buck MPEmma Lewell-Buck MP
Emma Lewell-Buck MP

Kristian Thompson was just 19 when he died following devastating injuries he sustained when he was savagely attacked because he didn't have a cigarette.

The teenager was on a night out with friends in September 2010 when he suffered the brutal injuries which left him in a coma for five days. Kristian underwent surgery to remove part of his skull, and the front lobe of his brain, and lived for 10 months before he died in July 2011.

Kristian Thompson with girlfriend EmilyKristian Thompson with girlfriend Emily
Kristian Thompson with girlfriend Emily
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South Shields MP Emma Lewell-Buck told fellow MPs of the terrible loss in a debate on "Victims Law" in the House of Commons.

Mrs Lewell-Buck said: "My constituent Kristian Thompson would have been 27 years old today had his life not been taken when he was 19 years old after he was the victim of a one-punch attack.

"His mam, Maxine, set up the charity One Punch UK. This week is One Punch Awareness Week when many people who have lost loved ones are pleading with the Government to follow Australia and Canada and create a one-punch law imposing a minimum sentence for perpetrators. Why are the Government continuing to resist doing so?"

Edward Argar, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice, replied: "I am grateful to the honourable Lady and I send my sympathies to Kristian’s family and friends on the terrible events that she has just described.

"I am very happy to look at what she is proposing, and if she would like to write to me, I will respond as fully as I can."