Mother Forgives Son’s Killer Onstage

Joan Scourfield of Derby, England, now shares a stage with Jacob Dunne, the man who killed her son James in 2011. James died after a single punch during a dispute over sunglasses in Nottingham. Joan initially sought answers about the assault, frustrated by the lack of explanation offered during the court proceedings.

Five years after James’s death, Joan began a restorative justice process with Dunne, facilitated by The Forgiveness Project. She and her former husband first received written responses from Dunne, then met him in mediated sessions. Joan describes Dunne as a vulnerable young man, far removed from the “evil mugshot” she’d seen.

Dunne served fourteen months for manslaughter and later studied criminology, becoming an advocate for criminal justice reform. Their story is now a play called Punch, performed in London and New York.

While Joan forgives Dunne for the unintentional nature of the killing, she clarifies she does not forgive the act of throwing the punch itself. The process has not been without complication, as Joan has faced online criticism for her choice.