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Joan Scourfield’s journey of forgiveness has drawn widespread attention, especially given the unusual nature of her relationship with the man responsible for her son’s death. James Hodgkinson suffered a fatal head injury after being punched during an incident in Nottingham, an attack from which he never recovered. Despite the devastating loss, Joan, who works as a nurse in Derby, now actively collaborates with Jacob Dunne, the individual who threw that single punch in 2011. Their remarkable story has inspired a successful theatre production that has been performed to sold-out audiences in London and New York.
James, aged 28, was a devoted son with ambitions of becoming a paramedic and a passion for adventure sports like wakeboarding. Joan recalls, “His adrenaline for the sports was a big worry, people would say ‘we’ll do a fun run and raise money’, he would do it in a sumo suit.” The tragedy unfolded one July evening in 2011, as James attended a Test cricket match at Trent Bridge dressed in fancy dress. After the match, at a city centre bar, a drunken stranger grabbed one of the pirate hats from James and his friends, leading to a violent altercation. James was punched and sustained a severe head injury that proved fatal nine days later.
Jacob Dunne, who was just 19 at the time and from The Meadows area of Nottingham, admitted manslaughter at Nottingham Crown Court. He was sentenced to 30 months in a young offender institution in November 2011. Joan expressed her frustration at the sentence, saying, “People were getting more for stealing a television and all you get back is ‘that was with intent’. I thought James’s life was worth more… what justice had James got?” Despite the pain, Joan’s attitude toward Jacob has evolved dramatically over the years. Fourteen years later, she considers him a friend and even meets him for lunch or coffee. Together, they campaign against the dangers of “one-punch” attacks and promote restorative justice.
Restorative justice, a process where victims and offenders voluntarily communicate about the impact of the crime, provided an important turning point for Joan and her family. While Jacob was still imprisoned, Joan and her ex-husband, David, used letters to seek an explanation for the fatal punch. Those letters eventually paved the way for a cautious face-to-face meeting after Jacob’s release. Joan remembers her expectations: “All I’d seen was that mugshot, so I was expecting this evil person to walk in, and this vulnerable young man walked in the room.” Surprised at her care for his future, Jacob found in Joan an ally encouraging him to change his life. Joan offered forgiveness and even a character reference to help him rebuild.
Their story has been further immortalised on stage. After gaining a first-class degree in criminology at Nottingham Trent University, Jacob wrote a book titled *Right from Wrong: My Story of Guilt and Redemption*. This was adapted by playwright James Graham into a play called *Punch*, which made appearances in London’s West End and New York before returning to Nottingham Playhouse. Joan described the experience of seeing her story performed: “Some bits are obviously quite painful, when she has to do the life support machine bit and meeting Jacob bit, and talking about James, it is very hard hearing all that from somebody else.” Together, Joan and Jacob have taken to the stage for Q&A sessions, often surprising audiences with their visible closeness.
Despite the unusual nature of their relationship, Joan embraces this path of healing, explaining, “I didn’t want to be consumed with grief and this is my way forward, to get some good out of him.” She highlights the positive ripple effect their work has had, noting that others from Jacob’s circle have changed their lives as well. Now living in South Derbyshire, Joan advocates for restorative justice to become standard practice for victims and perpetrators of traumatic crimes. She is confident that James, known for his desire to help others, would have been proud of the meaningful change that has come from such a tragic event: “I think James would be honoured and amazed, because he was one to help youngsters, so to me that’s coming full circle.”
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