Dario Domio died in May, two days after he was rushed to hospital unconscious and with bleeding on his brain after he was allegedly punched in the jaw by his son during a drunken row.

Matthew Domio, 30, was arrested and charged after the incident and remains in custody after being refused bail for the second time last week.

He is facing one of the Illawarra’s first charges of assault causing death while intoxicated – also known as the controversial new ‘‘one-punch’’ law. It carries a mandatory minimum jail sentence of eight years.

Domio’s sister-in-law, Alana Heffernan, has now started a crowdfunding account to fund his legal fees, saying her family had been ‘‘torn apart by a split second decision that could have happened to anyone’’.

‘‘A father has lost his life and a brother/son taken into custody,’’ she wrote on the Oz Crowd funding website.

‘‘This [is] a family made up of four boys, the best of mates and a family that values each other above anything else in this world and would do anything for one another at the drop of a hat.’’

‘‘They have not only been dealt the hardest blow by losing their father but cannot begin to deal with their grief as their beloved older brother is behind bars looking at a large part of his life taken away from him.’’

She said the family expected to pay ‘‘minimum of $70,000’’ in legal fees.

‘‘Some might judge this family before even putting yourselves in their shoes, so please before you do, think about how this could happen to your family and please say a little prayer for them and send them well wishes,’’ Ms Heffernan wrote.

Domio also faces charges of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.