High Sheriff backs play 'Punch' saying it highlights danger and also use of restorative justice
The show opens this week at Plymouth's Theatre Royal
Last updated 13th Apr 2026
Devon's new High Sheriff says new show 'Punch', which opens this week at Plymouth's Theatre Royal, has even more significance just weeks after a marine was jailed for killing an Exmouth man with a single blow.
The play, based on a true story, follows the separate story of Nottingham teenager Jacob Dunne - and High Sheriff Mark Ansell says it also highlights the power of restorative justice which is something he plans to promote after being sworn in over the weekend.
Exmouth's Cemal Yilmaz died three days after the single punch on Church Street on December 13, 2025, with Commando Joseph Jones later pleading guilty to manslaughter. Last month the marine from Wolverhampton was jailed for three-and-a-half years after Exeter Crown Court heard he punched the victim for suggesting his accent sounded like he was from ‘basically Birmingham’.
Cemal's mum has also pledged to try and appeal the length of sentence given to the 22 year old - for an act the judge described as 'a second or two of madness'.
High Sheriff Mark Ansell said: "A single punch can completely and utterly turn both lives upside down or the lives of both families totally upside down. The power of that one moment, one moment of madness, can do so much damage."
The synopsis for 'Punch' states: "One fateful evening, an impulsive punch leads to fatal consequences. After serving prison time, Jacob finds himself lost and directionless. Searching for answers, Joan and David – the parents of his victim James – ask to meet, sparking a profound transformation in Jacob’s life."
The new High Sheriff says restorative justice champions a system 'proven to support victims of crime and rehabilitate offenders', adding: "It's the victims of the victim's family who are totally in control of the process.
"Over 85 per cent of victims who go through it says it was really helpful and positive and in fact in Devon the rate is even higher- it helps give closure and it helps give understanding."
Mr Ansell says restorative justice can also help in cases where the defendant has pleaded guilty at an early stage, before evidence is heard in a trial, and can help victims and their families understand the reasons for the crime.
"Everybody says restorative justice is a brilliant process," he said.
"Yet it's not being used that much, it's not being used as widely as it should be and one of the craziest things is that for every pound that is spent on restorative justice they reckon it saves £14 elsewhere in the system."
The new High Sheriff says he wants to make sure restorative justice is the right 'avenue' for victims and the offer of it is presented clearly and at appropriate times to victims."
When asked about the 'Punch' play, he said: "I was transfixed by this powerful story. Jacob had a very difficult childhood, and at the age of 19 on a night out knocked James Hodgkinson to the ground with a single punch, taking his life. He was jailed for manslaughter but after meeting James’ parents through the restorative justice programme he has turned his life around.
"James’ mother Joan Scourfield found peace that his actions had been a ‘stupid mistake’ and the pair have gone on to campaign for Restorative Justice together.
“Further reading and conversations revealed this isn’t the only example of Restorative Justice working well for both parties.
"Government research shows that 85% of victims say it really helps, and a report by the University of Sheffield evaluating seven Cambridge University-led experiments in Restorative Justice found that it reduces reoffending by up to 27%."
"But despite these numbers, take-up of restorative justice nationally is low. In Devon and Cornwall it is used in less than four in every 1000 reported crimes - despite good infrastructure and people being in place. So why doesn’t it happen more? That’s what I intend to find out this year by working with the excellent restorative justice practitioners here in Devon so we can identify the blocks, work to overcome them and hopefully make some positive changes.”