Cole Miller dies from brain damage after Fortitude Valley attack
Brisbane times
Kim Steophens
Janruary 4,2015
Cole dies from coward punch
Teenager Cole Miller dies after allegedly being attacked in Fortitude Valley early Sunday morning. Nine News
A Brisbane teenager has died in hospital after an alleged one-punch attack in Fortitude Valley in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Cole Miller, 18, was walking through Chinatown Mall about 3.55am Sunday with a friend when he was allegedly approached by a group of four men.
In an attack investigators have referred to as "a random act of violence", he was struck in the head and fell to the ground, suffering critical injuries.
Chinatown Mall, Fortitude Valley where the alleged assault occurred. Photo: Cameron Atfield
The teenager, a promising water polo player, never regained consciousness.
He died in the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital on Monday.
As Cole clung to life, two 21-year-old men faced Brisbane Magistrates Court charged with causing him grievous bodily harm.
Cole, 18, back, died in hospital after an alleged one-punch attack in Brisbane's inner city. Photo: Supplied
Armstrong Renata and Daniel Jermaine Lee Maxwell, both aged 21,were both remanded in custody.
The charges against them are now likely to be upgraded to unlawful striking causing death.
The law was introduced by the former Newman government specifically to target one-punch deaths, after a string of similar tragedies in entertainment precincts across Australia.
Cole Miller, the victim of an alleged one-punch attack in a Brisbane nightclub precinct. Photo: Facebook
The charge mirrors manslaughter but removes the "accident" defence.and carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Just one person has been charged with the offence since its introduction.
Cole, the younger brother of Australian water polo player Billy Miller, was out with a friend during a break in training, ahead of a national competition in Adelaide later this week.
Brisbane teenager Cole Miller was struck during an altercation in Fortitude Valley's Chinatown Mall in the early hours of Sunday morning. Photo: Facebook
It has been cancelled in the wake of the attack, as has another tournament in Victoria.
Detectives investigating the teenager's death believe as many as four men could be behind the assault.
They are continuing to scour CCTV footage from the mall in a bid to identify the remaining attackers.
Mr Miller was rushed to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in a critical condition and placed on life support.
The teenager, from Highgate Hill, graduated from Brisbane State High School and is a member of the Brisbane Barracudas Water Polo Club team.