It has been a busy start to the year for the family of Scott Akester, raising awareness of the risks around one punch and the ripple effects it can cause.
They launched the charity One Punch Hull in the aftermath of Scott’s tragic death in a one-punch attack and it has already delivered its Scott’s Story presentation to over 6,500 children in Hull and East Yorkshire since January. The spin-off play One Punch, written by the Godber family, has also been picked up and performed in other parts of the country in 2025, after its success at Hull Truck Theatre and The Junction Theatre, Goole, last autumn.
Now, Scott’s Story, written by his mum Debbie Akester, has been published to spread the message even further. It tells the true story of the events of that fateful day in November 2022; how the family have coped with losing their only son; sitting through the trial of the perpetrator and how their lives have been turned upside down by a single punch.
Debbie said: “I started the book as part of my counselling. They said ‘it might be good for you to write things down’.
“I started a journal about things that were happening and how it was making me feel.” The journal helped inform the Godber script for One Punch, with insight into Scott growing up also provided by Debbie.
“It just progressed from there, really,” she said. The family’s barrister helped by putting Debbie in touch with an editor/publisher Penny Thresher.
“It’s not a very long book, about 80 pages, it talks about what happened when we lost Scott, the trial we went through, Scott’s upbringing and the charity and how we set it up. I think it can be used as a read for people who are interested in finding out more; I think it can also be used by some of the schools we have been to for probably the older children to read as part of their studies.
“I don’t know exactly where it’s going to go, but it’s out there. I do feel proud I have done it, it’s really emotional for me.”
(Image: Akester family)
On Monday, May 12 it was two years since Scott’s funeral. Debbie said: “Scott’s story is particularly hard to hear as it was a friend of 17 years who threw the fatal punch which caused Scott to lose his life when he was on a night out in Hull.
“Scott was 31-years-old at the time, enjoying life. He left behind a four-year-old daughter, who is now growing up without her Daddy around.
“It’s a heart-breaking story, but our strength is in ensuring Scott’s memory stays alive and we are making a real difference in raising awareness on the risks of getting involved in fights and punching out in that split second.” Debbie said: “The video we did with Humberside Police came second in the national police communications competition last year.”
Debbie said that One Punch Hull would be taking its message out to various events this summer. She was also hopeful of more funding to enable the One Punch play to return to the region in the near future.
“Our play was picked up by The Home Theatre in Manchester in February this year. It was shown over four nights, with five performances, and received great reviews by everyone who went to see it.
“Theatre critics gave it 4 out of 5 star reviews, which is fantastic. Fingers crossed, we will receive funding to be able to bring the play back to our local area – and anyone interested in investing in our play should please get in touch with us.
“While the play is fictional, it portrays our story, and highlights how quickly a night out with friends ends up in tragedy and details the aftermath of the event, and how things could have turned out differently. It is hard-hitting, powerful, with some humour in there too.”
The book of Scott’s Story is available on Amazon to buy in kindle, paperback and hardback versions. Alternatively you can buy it directly from the One Punch Hull & East Yorkshire via the website or Facebook, where there is more information about the charity, what you can do to support it, and how to book a presentation for your school or organisation.
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