The grieving mother of a man killed in a one-punch attack outside a Newcastle pub in 2018 has described how the assault shattered her family and spoken of the pain at watching her son "slowly fade away" in hospital.
Chad Hadden, 45, died about five months after he was struck outside the Queens Wharf Hotel in January, 2018. His old school mate, Shane Holmes, was in February found not guilty of murder after a re-trial in Newcastle Supreme Court.
Holmes, 47, had previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter, acknowledging that the punch that knocked Mr Hadden to the ground ultimately caused his death, but denied he intended to really seriously injure his mate.
Mr Hadden's mother, Lynn Hadden, was one of six family members who prepared emotional victim impact statements during a sentence hearing for Holmes in Newcastle Supreme Court on Thursday. "The hardest thing in life is losing a child," Mrs Hadden said. "Everyday, all day I was by Chad's side. "I prayed please God take me and let my son live."
Mrs Hadden said watching her son "unable to move, breathe on his own or talk, tears flowing down his face" was heartbreaking.
The hardest thing ... is losing a child
Lynn Hadden
When doctors told the family Mr Hadden only had a few days left, they slept in his room, remaining by his side until he took his final breath.
Mr Hadden's daughter, Emma, said her family was "forever broken" by Holmes's act and the months in hospital watching her father's condition deteriorate.
"Twice a day for 182 days I sat, watched, waited and hoped that my father would open his eyes and resume life where he left off," she said.
Holmes gave evidence and read a letter he had written to the Hadden family which attempted to outline his grief and remorse over his mate's death. But in cross-examination Crown prosecutor Rob Munro pointed out that Holmes had repeatedly said he had "contributed to" Mr Hadden's death, questioning whether he was accepting responsibility. "I am partly responsible," Holmes said. He will be sentenced on Friday.
