2005: MAN JAILED FOR ASSAULTING HIS DISABLED MOTHER
A man who assaulted his 79-year-old mother after she woke him during the night has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison at Worcester Crown Court.The victim, Constance Dale, who had previously been disabled due to a stroke, suffered bruises on her face, chest, and arms during the incident.
Her son, John, told social workers—shocked by her black eye—that her injuries resulted from an accident involving an ironing board, according to prosecutor Samantha Crabb.
Three years prior, Dale had served a five-month sentence for another attack on his mother.
The 43-year-old, residing on Ashmead Drive in Cofton Hackett near Bromsgrove, admitted to causing grievous bodily harm.
He lived with his mother and was her caregiver; following his earlier imprisonment, social services had initiated an adult protection plan for her, Crabb explained.
On June 10 of the previous year, a home care assistant noticed Mrs.
Dale’s bruised face during a visit, and her son provided a false account of her injuries.
Social services became involved that same day, and a doctor noted that Mrs.
Dale was deeply traumatized, prompting her hospital admission.
Her medical history includes a stroke in 1997 that left her with speech difficulties.
Police detained Dale at his place of work in the security sector.
He denied causing the injuries, claiming she had fallen and become caught up with the ironing board.
Defense lawyer William Rickarby stated that Dale was overwhelmed with frustration when his mother woke him.
He explained that Dale had been working long hours, his job having been complicated by the loss of his driver’s license due to epilepsy, and that his wife had recently died.
Mr.
Rickarby added that Dale considered himself responsible for caring for his mother and had previously worked as an engineer and in horticulture before becoming a security officer.
He emphasized that Dale still loved his mother but recognized he could no longer live with her.
Judge Michael Mott recognized the difficulties faced by a man caring for a disabled parent, but emphasized the severity of the attack, describing it as a brutal assault on a vulnerable, helpless woman.
He concluded that imprisonment was unavoidable.
