By Australia correspondent Rachel Morton
The death of a teenager in an unprovoked attack in Sydney's Kings Cross has prompted authorities to try to clean up the area.
Eighteen year-old Thomas Kelly was enjoying his first night out in Kings Cross when he was hit in an unprovoked attack that resulted in his death.
"We didn't want Thomas to go to Kings Cross that night, but you can't tell an 18-year-old boy what he can do," says Thomas Kelly’s father, Ralph.
Mr Kelly died in hospital from his injuries two days later, and yesterday an 18-year-old man was arrested and charged with murder.
“We'd been looking at that male for a number of days, yesterday's arrest was a culmination of having sufficient evidence to put him before the court," says NSW Police acting assistant commissioner Mal Lanyon.
The man has also been charged with assaulting three other men in unprovoked attacks that same night.
It is estimated that assaults in Kings Cross costs the nearest emergency department more than NZ$2 million a year.
Last night a community meeting was held in Kings Cross, where residents vented their anger about the continuing violence; they want bars to close at 3am and the government has announced that every bar in Kings Cross will be audited.
The local council says it wants bars to play slow music an hour before closing and free lollipops handed to patrons as they leave to keep them quiet.
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