People need to stop and think about the potential consequences just one punch could have, a charity boss has said.

It's a scenario we see in the courts time and time again across north Wales - people resorting to violence after drinking.

A blow to the head - whether by a fist, a weapon or the pavement after being struck and knocked down - can have life changing results.

And in the worst cases, it can have life-ending consequences.

Very recently, we reported on the sentencing of Luke Lockley, aged 38 and of Celtic Road in Summerhill.

During a night out in Wrexham city centre, he delivered a punch with "a lot of force" to his victim, causing the skin on the man's temple to break instantly and leading to him falling to the ground, unconscious.

He hit his head on the wall on the way down, and was left with a permanent scar over his right eye.

Not everyone walks away from such incidents, as Maxine Thompson-Curl, founder and CEO of the national charity One Punch UK, knows all too well.

She lost her son Kristian in July 2011 after he was punched nine months earlier.

On a night out with friends in County Durham in September 2010, he was approached by a stranger looking for a cigarette - who then punched him and caused him to sustain a catastrophic brain injury.

She said: "Kristian was 18 when he was hit, and he survived for nine months.

"He had to have a craniotomy on both sides and all he wanted was to get back to normality - to go to college and see his friends."

Following the sentencing of Luke Lockley, Maxine told the Leader: "We hear stories like this all the time - every week people are contacting me.

"Sometimes it happens the victim will just walk away - but every week I read about another person who has been attacked and it ends in devastation."

Judge Rhys Rowlands, during Lockley's sentencing, remarked on what could have happened to the victim in that case.

He said after seeing CCTV footage of the punch: "That is absolutely appalling.

"That's just the sort of punch that could have resulted in a fatality.

"I've seen similar blows with people ending up on a mortuary slab."

One Punch UK is campaigning to change the law in relation to defendants who cause death or serious injury in one punch scenarios - in order to impose tougher sentences.

Maxine urged people to think about the ripple effect of their actions before resorting to violence.

She said: "People who are affected by these crimes have emotional and social difficulties afterwards - they don't want to go out, they lose confidence.

"That's what we find with most people who survive these incidents.

"And it's the families as well; it's a huge trauma.

"I urge people to just stop, think and walk away.

"You're responsible for yourself, your temper and how you behave.

"If you hit someone and they fall and hit their head - or even just from the way you hit them - you could kill them.

"It has life changing results for everyone; the person who is hit, their family - and it's the end of your life as you knew it.

"The person who throws the punch can go to prison and that incident will always be with them."

One Punch UK is to hold a bereavement survivors day on May 10 for those who have been affected by or lost loved ones through One Punch.

Maxine is inviting those interested to send a photo and some words about the person they wish to remember or speak about to the charity's Facebook page ahead of the day if they wish it to be included.