‘I died that night too’: Sister’s grief after coward punch killing

Luke Sweetman, 35, was killed in an unprovoked, drug-and-alcohol-fuelled attack in the car park of an Adelaide motel, but his family feels like the law isn’t on their side.

It was a single punch that ended Luke Sweetman’s life.

A single moment of violence outside a pub that left his sister Laura sitting by his hospital bedside, praying through his final days.

“A part of me felt like I died that night too,” Ms Sweetman said, speaking publicly for the first time since her brother’s death.

“There’s no guidebook for how to navigate the aftermath of a senseless and violent death, let alone when it’s your only brother.”

Laura Sweetman lays next to her brother Luke Sweetman in hospital. Picture: Supplied

Mr Sweetman, 35, was killed in August 2024 after Matthew Hawkins punched him in an unprovoked, drug-and-alcohol-fuelled attack in the car park of the Peninsula Hotel Motel, in Adelaide.

The IT specialist had tried to de-escalate an argument over a vape. But instead, he was left unconscious, fighting for his life, after he was hit outside the venue.

In March this year, Hawkins was sentenced to six years in jail for manslaughter — with parole possible after five.

“Luke didn’t die in an accident. He died because someone made a choice — a choice to be violent,” she said.

“And yet, the sentence tells us his life wasn’t worth more than a few years behind bars.”

Laura Sweetman's brother, Luke, was tragically killed in an unprovoked attack by Matthew Hawkins in Adelaide last year. Picture: Nigel Hallett

South Australia is one of only two states in the country — alongside Tasmania — that still has no specific coward punch legislation. Even the states that do are ad hoc and inconsistent.

That legal gap is leaving families like the Sweetmans to navigate a justice system that they feel doesn’t fully acknowledge the severity of these senseless acts of violence.

“We were dragged through a heavy, emotionally exhausting legal process that often felt more protective of the offender than of us,” Ms Sweetman said.

“There were times when it felt like Luke’s death was being minimised, like we were just another one-hit punch statistic.”

Luke Sweetman, pictured with his sister Laura. Picture: Supplied.

Luke Sweetman with his mum Marion and sister Laura.

Ms Sweetman said greater accountability in high-risk environments — including pubs, clubs, and public spaces — are critical to preventing future attacks.

“Licensed venues need to take more responsibility. Hawkins was visibly agitated for hours before he punched Luke. And still, nothing was done,” she said.

“(Licensed venues) have a duty to intervene when behaviour escalates, especially when someone is clearly aggressive. That night, they failed to act.

“This is about accountability for a failure that cost my brother his life.”

The Sweetmans are not alone in their grief.

On the Gold Coast, 22-year-old Cameron Duce died in hospital after he was allegedly struck by an 18-year-old during a night out. Six days later, his family made the heartbreaking decision to turn off life support.

Chris and Sonia lost their son Cameron Duce in a coward punch attack last year. Picture by Luke Marsden.

“My whole life shattered … it’s not fair that someone laid their hands on him and I couldn’t protect him,” his mother Sonia Kluger said.

Austin Ballard has been charged with unlawful striking causing death. His lawyer has indicated he will fight the charge.

“This has broken us,” she said. “My son has lost his life.”

Ms Kluger is now calling for national education campaigns to prevent more families from suffering the same fate.

“Education needs to be happening nationally to educate young people about the consequences,” she said.

Cameron Duce died in a coward punch attack.

Rhianne Dejong’s family is still waiting for justice more than two years after her husband Edward was left permanently disabled after an alleged coward punch.

He was allegedly assaulted while waiting for a taxi in Traralgon, Victoria in December 2022.

“He sustained fractures in his skull and bleeding on his brain, resulting in a three-week hospital admission and a 10-week stay in brain injury rehab,” Ms Dejong said.

Rhianne Dejong's husband Edward was waiting for a taxi in Traralgon, Victoria in December 2022 when he was coward punched in an unprovoked attack.

Rhianne Dejong pictured with her husband Edward and their children Jasmine and Isaac before the attack.

The father-of-two has lost his health and his business, and the family was recently forced to sell their home to stay afloat.

Ms Dejong said the emotional and financial toll has been devastating.

“We need more protective service officers at taxi stands especially on Friday and Saturday nights and better compensation for victims,” she said.

‘NO JUSTICE’: FAMILIES BROKEN BY COWARD PUNCH ATTACKS

Fractured laws and inconsistent sentencing is denying justice to families devastated by coward punch attacks — even as youth violence surges to its highest level in 15 years.

Despite a decade of legal reforms, experts warn that laws designed to deter one-punch assaults are still failing to hold offenders fully accountable.

In many cases, charges are downgraded, sentences are lenient, and victims’ families are left feeling abandoned by the justice system.

At least 288 offenders were convicted for fatal coward punch assaults in Australia between 1990 and 2020. However, the true toll is believed to be much higher, with many victims left with permanent brain damage or lifelong disability.

Only five jurisdictions — WA, NT, Queensland, NSW and Victoria — have specific coward punch laws. South Australia, ACT and Tasmania have yet to follow suit.

Professor of Criminal Law at the University of Sydney, Dr Tyrone Kirchengast, said such attacks pose complex legal and emotional challenges.

Matthew Hawkins, red check shirt, punched and killed Luke Sweetman in an unprovoked attack outside the Peninsula Hotel Motel in 2024. Picture: Adelaide Supreme Court

He warned Australia’s “patchwork” of state laws means many coward punch deaths are still prosecuted as manslaughter or assault, often confusing families and denying them closure.

“A coward’s punch is generally consistent with unlawful and dangerous acts of manslaughter,” he said.

“There is no intent to kill the victim, yet the seriousness of the crime means that families are often left wondering why the accused was not charged with murder.

“It is even more puzzling where an accused is charged with assault causing death and not manslaughter or murder. This removes the denunciative and deterrent effect for such serious crimes.”

Many coward punch assaults are committed by young men, often in social settings where alcohol or drugs are involved.

Luke Sweetman while he was in hospital following the coward punch attack. Picture: Supplied

And experts warn the rise in youth violence — including fatal assaults and attacks that leave victims permanently disabled — reflects a broader cultural and legal failure to deter this kind of impulsive violence.

In 2023–24, nearly 12,000 under-18s were accused of violent assaults — the highest figure in 15 years. Violent crimes also now account for 26 per cent of all youth offences, making them the most common.

Last month, Dr Reena Sarkar co-led a landmark Monash University and Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine study into coward punch assaults — the first to analyse offender profiles, incident details and sentencing over 30 years.

They found most attacks occurred between 6pm and 6am, often near or in licensed venues.

Offenders were mostly men, with a median age of 26, and more than half struck strangers. While some were jailed for manslaughter, nearly 20 per cent received community-based penalties — raising concerns about deterrence.

Edward Dejong sustained fractures in his skull and bleeding on his brain and now has an acquired brain injury following the attack.

Dr Sarkar said in states with coward punch laws, convictions can be difficult because prosecutors must prove “intent, foreseeability, and the nature of the violent act.”

“Our research highlights a clear need for targeted interventions,” she said. “The introduction of coward punch legislation was both a legal and a public statement.

“But legal responses vary, and public education is critical in changing the culture. It’s everybody’s problem.”

Professor Kirchengast said while a national crackdown is unlikely, greater education is needed.

“The Constitution does not empower the federal parliament to make general criminal laws for homicide and assault,” he said. “This is left to the states. As such, we have a patchwork of laws.

“Education is essential and must start with masculinity and alcohol use, acceptable forms of behaviour, treatment of others — and it should start from a young age.”

Originally published as ‘I died that night too’: Sister’s grief after coward punch killing