A heartbroken mother who founded a charity after her son died from a single punch has condemned the suspended sentence handed to Peter Ward, a thug who left two men seriously injured in separate one-punch attacks. Maxine Thompson-Curl, of One Punch UK, described the sentence as 'an insult to his victims' and to all those who have lost loved ones to such violence.
Attacks While on Bail
Peter Ward, 36, of Joule Road, Sunderland, was already on bail for a one-punch assault in May 2023 when he struck again in September 2024. The first attack occurred outside Old Skool bar in Sunderland, leaving the victim with a scalp laceration, bleeding in the eye, a cheek cut, and gum scarring. The second, more serious attack happened outside a city centre takeaway, causing the victim to suffer a bleed on the brain, a fractured facial bone, a head bruise, and jaw pain.
Campaigner's Fury
Maxine Thompson-Curl, whose 19-year-old son Kristian died in 2011 after a one-punch attack, said: 'That case is just absolutely disgusting. He is clearly a dangerous person to have in the community. How many times can you get away with something? It's an insult to his victims.' She added that if the attack had involved a stabbing or shooting, the perpetrator would have been locked up.
Despite having 17 previous convictions and pleading guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm, Ward was sentenced to two years and three months in prison, but Recorder Dapinder Singh KC suspended the sentence for three years. This means Ward walked free from court.
Call for Sentencing Change
Maxine, who has campaigned since 2013, said: 'I was hoping the courts would have started taking it more seriously by now. Sentencing is the only deterrent to some people. I feel insulted myself, I feel frustrated that I have been doing this for 14 years and it isn't making that much of a difference. The judges and the law needs to change because it's still happening. If you raise your hands you are only doing it to hurt someone.'
She believes that changing sentencing could make people less likely to use their fists, which can be as deadly as a weapon.
