I was furious when this happened - David Hookes was by far and away my favorite cricketer as I was growing up, and I remember going out of my way to go to Vic vs SA Shield games just to see him play.
I wanted to see this bast@rd put away for some time.
However, through following the trial, I can't really argue with the verdict. I think that perhaps they pursued the wrong charge, and this was probably as a result of all the media hysteria following Hookes' death. I would have just liked to have seen him done for a serious assault charge, whatever would have got him adequately punished for his conduct that evening. He shouldn't have followed Hookes and his party down the street to their cars, and he should have stayed out of their faces once they'd left the premises. And he should not have walked away with his friends when it was obvious that Hookes was at the very least, seriously injured.
However, the evidence suggests that his punch was not even that hard (it may well have been a restrained blow) and Hookes's death came down to the impact his head made with the pavement. But the fact of the matter is that, given what we know about what happened that night, it's not the type of situation you would reasonably expect to result in a death.
It's all very unfortunate - but I do think that Micevic should have been punished for how he acted, and I'm a bit confused as to why he wasn't facing more than the one charge in isolation.