The Sensible Sentencing Trust is a calling for harsher sentences to be set as clear deterrents for coward punches in the wake of the thug who attacked Fau Vake in Auckland.

Minimum mandatory prison time is needed for those who intentionally and recklessly injure a person by a coward punch assault - this can only happen if new legislation is brought in.

The Sensible Sentencing Trust has legislation already written up and ready to go that would introduce a minimum mandatory five-year prison sentence for anyone who 'coward-punches' a victim.  The prepared legislation amends the Sentencing Act 2002, and the Crimes Act 1961, to introduce a new definition and harsher sentence for these types of unprovoked attacks.

We challenge the government to put the safety of our community first and table this piece of legislation in the House for debate.

It is clear the current law holds no sort of deterrent when jail time is a rarity and these types of attacks keep occurring regularly on our streets.  What is most important is these violent thugs are taken off our streets because of the clear danger they are to society.

We cannot continue to see offenders being let loose with light jail terms or community-based sentences.  The entire purpose of prison is to remove dangerous and violent criminals from our society.

These tragic instances will just continue to occur until we show we have zero tolerance for these types of attacks.