EMMA ROLLS

MOTHER STRANGLED SON'S EX-GIRLFRIEND UNTIL SHE COULD NOT BREATHE, COURT TOLD

A mother who assaulted her son's ex-girlfriend and strangled her until she couldn't breathe managed to avoid immediate imprisonment.

Emma Rolls, from Ransom Avenue in Worcester, attacked Bethany Ariss, leaving her with a black eye, a bloodied nose, and bruising on her neck and back after the incident on Saturday, March 16, of the previous year.

Birmingham Crown Court learned that Rolls was the mother of Hayden Awford, who had previously been in a relationship with Miss Ariss before they split up.

Rolls and her husband, Tony, had gone to assist Hayden in moving out of their shared home on Wiselock Place, Worcester.

Miss Ariss’s mother was also present to help her daughter with her belongings.

During the court hearing, it was stated that as Miss Ariss descended the stairs, she passed Rolls, who told her, “You can take that look off your face.” Miss Ariss responded, “I don’t have a look on my face.” Rolls, 42, then followed her into the kitchen, pushed her against a radiator, strangled her for approximately 25 seconds, grabbed her by the hair, and punched her multiple times in the face.

Her husband, Tony, intervened, pulling her away and shouting, “I told you not to do this, get off her.” Rolls, who has 13 previous convictions for 20 offences, was detained by police.

During an earlier court hearing, she admitted to charges of intentional strangulation and actual bodily harm.

Miss Ariss, aged 25, gave a victim impact statement, saying, “On the day of the assault, I was attacked in my own home, a place where I should feel safe.” She was sentenced to 15 months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered to pay £120 in compensation to Miss Ariss.

She added, “I struggle to sleep and often relive the attack in my mind.” Judge Sjolin Knight told Rolls she couldn’t simply go around attacking people and suggested she seek help to address her behaviour.

Commenting on a pre-sentence report and her previous violent convictions, the judge said, “There’s clearly unresolved trauma that needs to be addressed.

She can’t be losing her temper like this.” As a result, Rolls received a 15-month prison sentence suspended for two years, along with 200 hours of unpaid work, 25 days of rehabilitation activities, and the £120 compensation to Miss Ariss.