New Vic laws increase sentences for murder, coward punches, child abuse
Updated
Serious crimes committed in Victoria will attract longer sentences from today, with new laws coming into effect as part of the State Government’s baseline sentencing reforms.
The laws mandate higher median sentences for crimes such as murder, large-scale drug trafficking, child abuse and culpable driving causing death.
The sentence for murder increases by five years to 25 years while the sentence for large-scale drug trafficking doubles to 14 years.
One-punch killers face at least 10 years in prison for manslaughter if they punch a victim to the head and it results in death.
Read the Victorian Government media release announcing new laws to tackle coward punches / 18 September 2014