Guilty plea over death of Luke Francis in unprovoked attack at Crown casino

The family of young concreter who died after an unprovoked attack at Crown casino has pleaded for a lengthy jail term for his killer.

The family of a man coward punched in Crown casino food court has called for justice to be served as his killer admitted to the deadly unprovoked blow.

Luke Anthony Francis, 29, fell to the ground and never regained consciousness after he was hit from behind by Tyson Armstrong at the Southbank entertainment venue about 12.20am on March 27.

His family had seen the CCTV footage of the attack, describing it as “devastating and horrific”.

Mr Francis’s mother Michelle Harris, speaking outside Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Thursday just moments after Mr Armstrong pleaded guilty to manslaughter, detailed how her son’s life was taken in just 14 seconds.

“You know, a nice night out, and randomly attacked from behind — it’s just not right,” she said, fighting back tears.

“In 14 seconds my son’s life is gone.”

Luke Francis with his sister, Emily, and mother, Michelle, who are now fighting for justice.

Mr Francis, 29, died three days after being punched at Crown casino.

Initial reports indicated the loving, happy-go-lucky concreter had died in a fight.

But his family wanted to set the record straight.

“There was no fight, no brawl,” his heartbroken sister, Emily Francis, told the Herald Sun.

“Luke never provoked or antagonised anyone at all, nor did he encourage that sort of behaviour.

“He was a victim of a coward punch in an unprovoked attack.”

Armstrong’s guilty plea has brought little closure to his victim’s family.

“We just want justice for Luke,” Ms Harris said.

“We miss him terribly. His humour, his heart. He had a huge heart. His loyalty. His love for his family, his friends.

Collingwood fan Tyson Armstrong has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

“It’s left a huge hole in our family’s lives. It’s very hard. A very hard situation.

“And it’s killing us all.”

She said her son’s killer deserved to be “put in jail for a long time” and that she was angered he remained on bail.

“He should have been remanded today,” she said.

Armstrong, 27, from Highton, was initially charged with recklessly causing injury, but when Mr Francis’s life support was switched off days later, police launched a homicide investigation.

On August 25, the father of three was charged with manslaughter.

He beamed into the court from a remote location, only saying “I plead guilty” when asked by magistrate Donna Bakos how he pleaded to the single charge of manslaughter.

No details of the circumstances of the offending were outlined in court.

Ms Bakos reminded Armstrong of his bail conditions, including that he not attend Crown, not consume alcohol in public, and only attend licensed venues in the company of his wife.

He must also not leave Victoria and report to Geelong police station once a week.

Armstrong, an avid Collingwood fan whose social media account features photos of him with Pies captain Scott Pendlebury and midfielder Jordan De Goey, will appear in the Supreme Court on December 1, when dates will be set for a pre-sentencing hearing.

Manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of 20 years.