Janet O’Brien’s son Luke was just 20 when he was fatally struck by Jack Hall Ellis in an unprovoked assault in Dublin — she has now spoken about meeting his killer in prison
A brave Irish mother has spoken about her extraordinary prison encounter with the man who killed her son — following a fatal one-punch assault that claimed her firstborn’s life.
Janet O’Brien’s son, Luke, was just 20-years-old when Jack Hall Ellis delivered the devastating blow during an unprovoked attack in Tallaght, Dublin, back in 2017.
Hall Ellis completed three years and eight months of a five-year sentence for the unlawful killing of Luke, who had been departing a pub when the fatal punch was thrown.
Yet remarkably, while he was imprisoned, Janet chose to visit him as part of the Irish Probation Board’s restorative justice initiative.
Discussing that powerful encounter on Ireland AM, she disclosed: “I got my opportunity to show Jack a picture of Luke in hospital, not to hurt him, but to show him visibly what he had done and what we were left with and like that to encourage him to please never lash out again.”
When questioned about his response and whether her visit caught him off guard, Janet added: “Yeah, he was definitely taken aback by the photo.
“But he was also, I have to say, he was very remorseful and he thanked me for the meeting. He said he thought I was going to come in screaming and shouting, and he was going to let me.
“But all along, I’ve had such a strong feeling of, you know, no anger, no retaliation, because there’s a gang of kids involved here.
“There’s my son, there’s all Luke’s friends, everybody was so angry at the time that it could have just got into such a vicious circle of retaliation and people being in trouble, maybe somebody else getting hurt. And I couldn’t bear that to happen.”
Who was Luke?
Janet’s expression brightened when asked about her eldest son, who had made the decision to enrol at Crumlin College to study accountancy before his life was cut short.
He shared a strong bond with his mother and siblings, and Janet, originally from Tallaght, explained: “As you see, I’m a typical Irish mammy. At the minute Luke’s name is mentioned, I’m smiling away. And yeah, he was a gorgeous kid. He was my first born.
“He was very family oriented, an absolute devil in school but yeah, he had just returned to college and he was, you know, turning his life around.
“He was making good choices and we thought you know, we thought this was really his year, but unfortunately it turned out not to be the case.”
One-punch attack
It was Halloween evening 2017 when Luke accompanied his mother and younger sister to the cinema in Dundrum.
Following the film, they sat down for a meal at a restaurant, where Janet recalled Luke’s mates messaging him to join them.
Recalling what happened next, she explained: “Well, we got home. He came back down the stairs and said, ‘Oh mam, I’m heading off’. I remember trying to say to him like, ‘Oh look, you know, you could get that assignment done.’ And he was just grinning away at me, so I knew, you now, my battle was lost. And yeah, Luke left for that night out.”
At three o’clock in the morning, Janet received a phone call from Store Street Garda Station (police) informing her that Luke had been assaulted.
She rushed to Tallaght Hospital where Luke had been taken, though she said the gravity of what had happened hadn’t yet sunk in.
Yet she recalled: “Unfortunately, that night was just bad news after bad news.”
The next morning, Luke, who had a huge bleed on his brain, was moved to Beaumont Hospital where he battled for survival for a fortnight.
Tragically, the severe brain injuries sustained when he fell and struck his head following the blow proved fatal. Janet was ultimately informed they had merely 24 hours remaining with Luke.
Describing the incident itself, she revealed: “It was one punch from behind. He didn’t see it coming. Jack had said he was chatting to his girlfriend.”
She continued: “Jack did get a sentence of five years. I know a lot of people were angry about that, but I was always of the opinion like, why does it matter if he got 20 years? Nothing is bringing Luke home.”
Restorative justice
Janet acknowledged it never occurred to her to meet her son’s killer until several years had elapsed. She consistently held the view that while he never meant to end Luke’s life, his behaviour that evening ultimately resulted in his death.
The grief-stricken mother felt compelled to meet Hall Ellis after learning he had been on bail the night he killed Luke and had violated his curfew conditions.
She recalled: “I just remember thinking, you know, if I had heard of Jack continuing down that road, say he came out of prison, and went on to be the hard man, I think I would have found that very hard.
“I just felt an overwhelming urge to go see him. And I know he’s not five, but to just ask him to be good. He gets a second chance at life now, Luke doesn’t. So, please make the best of it.”
Janet went through a six-month process with the probation service ahead of the encounter. She praised their support throughout and felt thoroughly prepared, knowing precisely what she wished to communicate.
Both Janet and Hall Ellis had a support person with them, and the bereaved mother was questioned about what she personally gained from the experience.
Speaking honestly, Janet, who now gives talks in prisons, said: “I always struggle when someone asks me about this, because I know other people who have been through restorative justice can walk away and say, ‘I feel so empowered, I’ve claimed my life back.'”.
“That’s never going to be the case for us. You know, we just have to live this life now.
“But I am so glad I got the opportunity to sit and talk to him, like we were there for an hour, and I do feel and hope that it had an impact on Jack. So I can only hope.”
