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Mum fears drunken son may kill her
A TERRIFIED South Yorkshire mum told how she fears her violent and abusive alcoholic son will eventually kill her, as he was jailed for attacking her in her own bed.
Wendy Yates, of Wath-upon-Dearne, was beaten by 27-year-old David Lee after he came home drunk, woke her because he could not find food, then rowed with her about a family matter.
In a statement to police which was read out at Sheffield Crown Court, his 47-year-old mum, who suffers bronchial asthma, said she was "extremely frightened" of Lee due to the continuing physical abuse. Ms Yates added: "I feel, if given the chance, that he will eventually kill me."
Megan Rhys, prosecuting, said: "Lee has a history of violence towards her over the previous 10 years, including five assaults reported in the past year."
She said Ms Yates had gone to bed on the night of the attack last autumn. Lee, who was staying with her, went out drinking. Ms Rhys said: "At 11pm, she was woken by the defendant who was shouting at her, asking where some food was. He began to blame her for a family incident.
"When she tried to speak, he said, 'wrong answer' and grabbed her face, punched her twice, spat in her face three times and hit her.
"She grabbed her mobile phone and managed to go downstairs, struggling for breath because of her asthma, and escaped by saying she was going to let the cat out."
After dialling 999 from a neighbour's garden, Ms Yates went back into her house and locked Lee out - he then threw bricks at the windows of her door and rear dining room window, smashing the glass.
Ms Yates suffered bruising to her left eye and the left side of her face, neck and chest, right forearm and upper left arm, and her right leg in the 45 minute-long ordeal.
The incident happened when Lee was already subject to a suspended four month prison sentence for common assault against his mother, which left her with a bruised face, arms and neck.
Lee first attacked his mother in 1999, when he committed an offence of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Gurdial Singh, defending, said the root cause of his offending was misuse of drugs and alcohol, and that he had been given counselling while on remand in prison.
Judge Graham Robinson said: "You pose a very significant risk of causing serious harm to your mother."
He sentenced Lee to an extended jail term of three years, including the four months he received for the assault last year.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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