WARNING: Distressing footage
A disturbing video of a violent assault has emerged, showing a young man being punched in the back of the head on Chapel Street, Prahran, in Melbourne’s southeast, early Saturday morning.
The footage captured the moment a group of men and women gathered on the road before a fight broke out between some of the men.
Suddenly, a man punched a young man from behind and walked away casually while the victim fell to the ground, motionless.
Len Scott, who witnessed the lead-up to the incident, said it was a horrible experience.
“There were women crossing the road, guys tearing their shirts off, muscling up. It wasn’t good,” he told 7NEWS.
A man (L) is shown punching another man from behind. 7NEWS
Awareness group, the Pat Cronin Foundation shared the footage online and wrote: “Hoping for a speedy recovery for the victim and for full consequences for the coward who threw the punch.”
Matt Cronin, the founding director of the foundation, whose son was killed in a one-punch attack in 2016, also described the incident as “sickening.”
Cronin pointed out that his son Pat, also a victim of a one-punch attack, did not hit the ground after being struck, yet the punch was enough to fracture his skull.
The man was out cold after the punch. Picture: 7NEWS
Matt Cronin, father of coward Punch victim, Matt Cronin condemned the attack. Picture: Jake Nowakowski
He called for more funding to educate young men about the dangers of such behaviour.
“The schools are demanding our presentations,” Mr Cronin told 7NEWS.
“Really, we’re doing the work of the government, so we need as much support as we can to try and put an end to this senseless violence.”
The victim, a man in his twenties, was taken to the hospital in stable condition though police claim they were not notified of the assault, and they are appealing for the victim to come forward.
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According to traders on Chapel Street, late-night violence along the street has increased significantly over the past six months, and they have regularly expressed their concerns to the police and the local council. Scott attributed the increase in violence to people going out drinking more often and harder post-Covid.
The state government has introduced measures to curb anti-social behaviour, such as mandatory ID scanning, lockouts, and stricter penalties for violent offences.
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