Mark Roberts (Image: North Wales Police)
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A 48-year-old man who repeatedly punched his 82-year-old mother, fracturing her ribs, has been sent to prison for 32 months.
Mark Roberts, of no fixed address, was sentenced at Caernarfon Crown Court on Thursday for causing grievous bodily harm to Lynnette Roberts. The attack happened at her home in Abergele on April 1.
A demand for money
Prosecuting, Elen Owen said Roberts accused his mother of owing him money. When she wouldn’t tell him where it was, he hit her.
Mrs Roberts had tucked some keys away in a chest of drawers. Unable to find them, her son struck her twice more, this time in the ribs. She fell in the hallway and couldn’t get back up.
Roberts lifted her into a chair, but the violence carried on and he punched her in the head. The pensioner tried to defend herself.
“She tried to hit him with her walking stick but he grabbed the end and pulled it off her,” Ms Owen told the court.
Notes hidden for police
Ms Owen said Mrs Roberts had written down what happened and concealed the notes in her clothing for officers to find.
Cleaning up and the 999 call
Roberts wiped blood from the floor, although crime scene investigators later discovered small spatters.
He did ring 999 for his mother, but then tried to call off the ambulance. The court heard she could be heard in the background, shouting for help.
Mrs Roberts was left with fractured ribs, bruising to her cheekbone and swelling to her face.
What he told officers
When police arrived, Mrs Roberts told them she believed her son was going to kill her.
Roberts claimed she had “wound him up” and had been “nasty” to him. He also told officers an epileptic fit had affected his memory.
The impact on his mother
In a victim statement, Mrs Roberts said she has found it hard to cope since the assault, both emotionally and practically. She now feels uneasy answering the door and is taking anti-depressants.
She once walked to Tesco every week, a trip of about an hour, but she no longer makes it.
Her other son and his wife live with her, and she said she is grateful for that. But she feels guilty about the “additional responsibility placed upon them”, the court heard.
The defence
Simon Mintz, defending, said: “It was a horrible assault and it was inexcusable.”
He told the court the medication his client takes can make him agitated and aggressive.
