EXCLUSIVE
The parents of a man who was pushed to his death from the second storey of a Cottesloe pub want a permanent memorial at the scene of his fatal fall to warn against the perils of senseless violence.
Andy Marshall, 29, died when he was shoved through a plate glass window at the Ocean Beach Hotel by former Rock Machine bikie associate Stefan Pahia Schmidt in an unprovoked attack in May 2011.
Now his parents, Alan and Wendy Marshall, are planning to erect a heartfelt, yet confronting plaque near the hotel in a profound, anti-violence stance.
"If it's there in a public place it might just make someone think when they see it: this is where a young man in the prime of his life, 29 years old, an innocent person, lost his life through the violent actions of another person," Mr Marshall told Fairfax Media in an emotional interview from his New Zealand home.
"It might be just that sobering thought to make people think about their behaviour, their actions and the consequences."
New Zealand-born Andy Marshall, a talented musician and drummer with Perth band Rich Widow, had only intended to travel to WA for a brief holiday but had lived in Perth for more than two years when his life was tragically cut short.
His parents said they wanted the plaque to bear a photograph of their son and "words appropriate to the message of anti-violence".
"The idea behind the plaque is not so much a memorial for our sake but Perth is where Andy spent the last two-and-a-half years of his life and the OBH was where he was killed," Mr Marshall said.
"To me, it's a tribute and a memorial for the people of Perth and all the friends Andy made there, but also to carry that message to really make people think.
"Sometimes, it's just that visual reminder that people need.
"While it's current now, there will be a time when the story won't be so familiar to the community so the idea is really to prompt that thought around how deadly one violent action can be."
Mr Marshall said the family was "incredibly grateful" at the unexpected kindness of Sergeant Matt Donkin, a WA detective who investigated Andy's death, who this week launched a fundraising drive to finance the memorial, and to those who had supported the venture.
Since the online fundraising campaign was launched on Tuesday night, more than $2000 has been raised for the plaque and to fly Andy's family from New Zealand for an unveiling in December.
Sergeant Donkin said he had been prompted to help after forging a close relationship with the Marshall family in the aftermath of Andy's death and supporting them during the court hearings.
He said the memorial was not only about remembering Andy as an "innocent victim" but also "saying no to violence" as a community and offering a place for remembrance and reflection.
In May, Schmidt, 28, was jailed for nine years after he was found guilty of manslaughter in a judge-alone retrial in the WA Supreme Court.
In 2012, Schmidt was handed a life sentence with a minimum jail term of 14 years for murdering Andy Marshall, but the Court of Appeal determined that Schmidt should face a retrial, with Justice Michael Buss saying he could have been found guilty of manslaughter instead of murder.
At the start of the retrial, Schmidt had offered to plead guilty to the lesser charge, admitting he had pushed Mr Marshall but didn't mean to kill him. But prosecutors rejected the plea deal.
Justice John McKechnie found Schmidt guilty of manslaughter and ordered that he spend at least seven years behind bars before being eligible for parole.
In sentencing, Justice McKechnie said the cause of Schmidt's anger – Andy speaking with two of Schmidt's female associates – was "unbelievably innocuous".
Justice McKechnie said his sentence should deter others from thinking about "casual violence", saying people should be able to go out without fearing such an attack.
He added that Schmidt's actions of walking away while Andy lay injured on the pavement outside the pub were "undoubtedly callous".
Mrs Marshall said she was relieved the court process had ended but "there's no relief from the grief or the loss of Andy".
"Life is precious. We need to respect life and we need to respect and show kindness to one and other instead of violence and anger," she said.
OBH manager Murray Quinlivan did not respond to questions from Fairfax Media on Wednesday.
Cottesloe Mayor Jo Dawkins said it would be "inappropriate" to comment without knowing the full extent of the plans.
