A heartbroken mum whose son was killed in a one-punch assault wants Ireland to adopt minimum sentences for such attacks.
Janet O’Brien, whose eldest boy Luke O’Reilly, 20, was assaulted by Dubliner Jack Hall Ellis believes a stronger deterrent is needed for young people.
The 21-year-old thug was sentenced to seven years in prison last month with the final two suspended.
Mrs O’Brien, from Tallaght, West Dublin, said while Hall Ellis’ term was “realistic” she has been contacted by many parents devastated by one and two-year sentences handed to killers.
She added: “In Australia, in New South Wales, they’ve changed the law so it’s a minimum of eight years.
“But over there they’re actually calling it a cowardly punch campaign and there’s a champion boxer who’s leading it, Danny Green, and they’re having a huge response.
“Maybe that is the way – no young fella or girl is going to want to be called a coward.”
Luke died after he was hit from behind without warning by Hall Ellis who told gardai he was acting in “anger” when he punched him as they left a pub on Halloween night 2017.
He fell and hit his head at Old Blessington Road, Tallaght, causing brain injuries which led to his death in hospital two weeks later.
In her victim impact statement, Mrs O’Reilly, who is receiving treatment for cancer, said: “I found it very hard to cope. When I stepped out of work the first time, even before the diagnosis I had gone down because your head just won’t stop, you’re constantly, you’ve all kinds of scenarios going on [in your head] and you can’t function properly.
“I was diagnosed as having post traumatic stress disorder [eight months after Luke’s death] so I was given tablets.
Luke's stepfather Gary Higgins said: “Your stress levels bring on all these [things], anything that’s going to happen is going to happen that year.”
On the advice of other relatives of victims, Mrs O’Reilly handed a photo of Luke to Judge Melanie Greally before the sentence was handed down.
She said: “If the jail term had been one or two [years] I would have appealed.”
