THE parents of a man killed during a night out are launching a petition in a bid to get sentences for violent offenders increased.

Sheena and James McGibbon were enjoying a night out in Hartlepool town centre last year, with son, Phillip, 25, and his fiancee, Amanda, when Phillip was killed.

The family, including eldest son Stephen and his girlfriend, Debbie, called into a takeaway in Church Street as they prepared to head home.

However, as most of the family waited for food orders inside, Phillip, 25, was beaten to death a few yards away.

Last week, Neil Dixon, 25, was sentenced to three years in jail for Phillip's killing.

Mr and Mrs McGibbon have vowed to take on the court system over the length of sentence in this and other similar cases, and hope to receive thousands of signatures on the petition.

Mrs McGibbon, 46, said: "Mobile phone thieves can get four years these days, yet to take someone's life warrants just over three.

"If this man hadn't killed Phillip and just stolen his mobile phone, he could have been locked up for longer.

"My son's life was worth much more than a mobile phone."

The couple also hope to get Hartlepool MP Peter Mandelson to support their plea for tougher punishments.