Homeless drug addict knocked out stepdad while pestering mum for money

Ashley Fletcher was banned from contacting his mum by a restraining order imposed in January 2016, but after she moved to a new address in Rotherham, he found out where, prosecutor Brian Outhwaite said.

"He would knock on her door and ask for money two to three times per day," he said. "She said they would see him in Rotherham town centre, where he pestered her for money."

The harassment lasted for three months until July 2 last year, when he approached his mum at the local shops.

When his stepfather tried to call the police, Fletcher punched him in the face, causing the man to stumble and fall. He hit his head on the edge of the pavement and was knocked unconscious. He later needed six stitches.

Fletcher kicked the man in the torso before running off.

The court heard Fletcher has recent convictions for damage, theft and matters of dishonesty, and is the subject of at least four suspended sentences since the assault.

Joy Merriam, mitigating, said: "It's a sorry tale when the defendant's victims are his mother and stepfather."

She said he has been homeless since he was 16, and is struggling with drug addiction.

His most recent sentence was imposed in March, two weeks before lockdown.

Fletcher admitted assaulting his stepfather at the first opportunity, but pleaded not guilty to harassment and was later found guilty after failing to attend a trial, Ms Merriam told the court.

"He saw nothing wrong in asking his mother for money," Ms Merriam said. "He wants you to know how much he regrets his actions and how sorry he is."

Fletcher, aged 27, of St Anns, Rotherham, was convicted of harassment without violence, on August 19, and pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, on October 20.

On Thursday, Judge Graham Reeds QC handed Fletcher 28 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months.

“If you commit any offence from now on, it won't be a question of doing a few weeks, it will mean a significant sentence,” the judge told him.

Read the latest cases from Sheffield Crown Court here.

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