The victim of an alleged one-punch attack outside a suburban pub has died two weeks after the incident, with the charges against the alleged attacker expected to be elevated to murder.Â
Luke Sweetman, 35, was allegedly assaulted at Peninsula Hotel Motel in Taperoo, Adelaide’s north-west, just after midnight on August 10.
Mr Sweetman was rushed to hospital with serious injuries and doctors tried for two weeks to save his life before he died on Friday.Â
A 29-year-old man, from nearby Exeter, was arrested shortly after the incident and charged with causing serious harm.
He fronted Port Adelaide Magistrates Court on August 12 and was remanded in custody after making no application for bail.
South Australian Police announced on Monday they intended to upgrade his charge to murder when the accused fronts court again on Tuesday.Â
The 29-year-old man is expected to appear via video link.
The father of one-punch victim Sam Davis and Sammy D Foundation founder Neil Davis said he was ‘heartbroken’ to hear of Mr Sweetman’s death.
A pub-goer (pictured, Luke Sweetman) has died weeks after an alleged one-punch attack – with his accused attacker expected to be charged with murder
Luke Sweetman, 35, was allegedly assaulted at Peninsula Hotel Motel (pictured), in Adelaide’s north-west, just after midnight on August 10Â
‘Our thoughts are with Luke’s family and friends as they struggle to comprehend this (allegedly) senseless act of violence, and the inevitability that their lives have now been changed forever,’ Mr Davis said in a statement on Monday.
Mr Davis created the foundation in the name of his 17-year-old son who died after a one-punch attack in May 2008.
‘As the impact of this tragedy ripples through the community, our thoughts are also with those who witnessed the (alleged) assault, the emergency services personnel who responded, as well as the broader community,’ Mr Davis said.
‘These impacts will be felt for years to come.’
A former co-worker of Mr Sweetman took to social media to pay tribute to the 35-year-old who she remembered as a ‘sweetheart’.
‘I am struggling to wrap my head around this, you were the most lovely kind natured man,’ she wrote on Facebook.
‘(He) always had a kind word to say, always helpful and motivating.’
