Family call for tougher sentence

Mr Robinson died in Middlesbrough's James Cook hospital

The family of a Teesside man who died after a street attack are petitioning for a tougher sentence for his killer.

Gavin Robinson hit his head on the pavement when he was punched to the ground in Thornaby in June. The 30-year-old later died in hospital.

Richard Wyatt, 23, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for manslaughter.

Mr Robinson's family and friends will be knocking on every door in the town to raise signatures for a petition they will present to the Attorney General.

His girlfriend Lesley Huitson said: "The sentence was so lenient, 18 months for Gavin's life.

"We need to highlight this and campaign for tougher sentences for perpetrators for this type of crime."

'Total outrage'

She said that they were aiming for 10,000 signatures, and already there had been interest in the local community.

"There was total outrage last week about the sentence," she said.

"A lot of shops have asked to put them out, and people have been asking to sign it, so there's a lot of support out there."

Alex Robinson-Raper added that she just wanted justice for her brother.

"We're living a nightmare at the minute and wouldn't want anyone else to go through what we went through as a family."