More charges to be laid over fatal brawl that killed teen Patrick Cronin
Fresh charges are set to be laid over the fight which killed Melbourne teenager Patrick Cronin after he was punched in the head at a pub in 2016.
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Police are set to lay fresh charges over the wild pub brawl that led to the death of Patrick Cronin.
The 19-year-old was killed after being punched in the head by Andrew Lee after a fight began at the Windy Mile pub in Diamond Creek in 2016.
Patrick was trying to drag his friends to safety and didn’t throw a punch before being hit.
Lee was jailed for eight years with a five-year minimum, after pleading guilty to a single count of manslaughter, in a deal that meant he avoided a 10-year non-parole period under mandatory one-punch legislation.
Now the Sunday Herald Sun can reveal that others allegedly involved in the fatal fracas are to be charged with affray-related offences.
Graphic CCTV that captured the fight is believed to be central to the evidence against those expected to be charged.
There is no complainant but sources say charges could be laid imminently.
Witnesses have testified that comments yelled at a man about being overweight caused him to go “nuts” and sparked the mass brawl.
Patrick had been at the pub quietly celebrating a football match with his brother Lucas and teammates when he was caught up in the brawl. After being hit he left the pub, returned to a friend’s house and complained of feeling unwell.
He later phoned his mother to pick him up, but when she arrived 10 minutes later he was unable to speak. He was rushed to hospital, where doctors discovered a skull fracture. He was pronounced dead the following day.
The Windy Mile closed its doors in March, its owners saying it never recovered from the senseless death.
In August Patrick’s family was awarded almost $170,000 in compensation.
Supreme Court Judge Lesley Taylor found that Patrick’s parents Matt and Robyn and siblings Emma and Lucas deserved the payout for the psychiatric injuries suffered.
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She set the figures at $70,000 for Patrick’s father, $95,000 for his mother, and $30,000 each for his two siblings.
But, in deducting payments already received from Victims of Crime, Justice Taylor ruled Lee pay $56,562 to Mr Cronin, $59,410 to Mrs Cronin and $25,000 each to the siblings.
The family set up the Pat Cronin Foundation to honour his memory by raising awareness of the harm caused by one-punch assaults.