The mother of a man who died following a one-punch attack in Dublin has said she wanted to meet her son's killer 'face-to-face' before he got out of prison.
20-year-old Luke O'Reilly died following the attack in Tallaght in Dublin on Halloween night in 2017.
Jack Hall-Ellis, of Lismore Road in Crumlin, was sentenced to five years in jail in 2019 after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
He was released last year after serving three years and eight months.
Luke's mother, Janet O'Brien, met her son's killer as part of The Probation Service's Restorative Justice programme.
Janet told Lunchtime Live why she wanted to meet Jack.
"It's funny the things that come over you, it's hard to explain why," she said.
"I remember wanting to meet the ambulance people, I remember when I was doing a couple of interviews early on I wanted to meet Jack's mam to ensure that she knew I wasn't doing this to hurt their family.
"I was just trying to raise awareness of how easily somebody's life could be taken.
"The next thing was to meet Jack; I just felt that I needed to see him face-to-face, I needed to show him what we had been dealing with in those first few weeks.
"I brought along a photograph of Luke in hospital to show Jack."
Janet O'Brien and her son Luke O'Reilly. Image: SuppliedJanet said Jack seemed remorseful and respectful.
"I did feel he was very remorseful, I did feel he was very respectful," she said.
"He kind of sat and listened to everything I had to say; I had, I suppose, another [Victim] Impact Statement.
"It was just very important for me to see him before he left prison, so as I knew that he wouldn't repeat any such actions.
"I kind of felt if he was to come out and... be of a violent nature again that it just would be a waste of two lives."
'He didn't actually say anything'
Janet said Jack remained silent when she showed him the photo of Luke, but she knew something had changed.
"He didn't actually say anything for the initial photograph, but because I was sitting across the table from him I could see that it had affected him," she said.
"He actually thanked me for meeting him, he had wanted the opportunity to say sorry properly.
"He had let me also know that there wasn't a day that went by that he didn't think about Luke, and find it hard to be believe even yet how this had happened."
Janet said she "without a doubt" got something from the visit.
"I think anyone who is maybe even just contemplating it or toying with the idea to take that next step and enquire," she said.
"There's so much help, they're so helpful the meetings I had," she added.
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