Sheffield Crown Court: Woman left fighting for life after man forces way into family home and attacks her

The 46-year-old victim had just returned home with one of her young children and walked in the front door when Patrick Maughan and two other masked men burst into the house in Armthorpe, Doncaster, clutching weapons including a spade and a claw hammer.

She was stabbed, piercing an artery, and needed life-saving surgery.

When her 22-year-old son challenged the intruders, Maughan threw part of a concrete bird bath at him, hitting him in the head and knocking him out.

Maughan, formerly of Marshland Road, Doncaster, appeared at Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday, August 31, when he admitted aggravated burglary. The 37-year-old was remanded in custody to be sentenced at a later date.

PC Alex Fuller, from Doncaster’s Op Fortify team, said: “This was a vicious and violent assault by Maughan and his associates on a woman and her family.

“At some point during the attack, the woman realised she had been stabbed and her shirt was covered in blood. She called 999, which prompted Maughan and the other suspects to flee, as they were forced out of the property by her son.

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“It was then that Maughan threw part of a concrete bird bath from the victim’s front garden at the 22-year-old, hitting him in the head and knocking him out.

“Both victims were taken to hospital, where it was discovered that the woman’s injury was life-threatening as the stab wound had hit an artery. Thankfully, medical intervention saved her life. Her son’s head injury was serious, but he has also made a full recovery.

“We were able to secure significant CCTV evidence that captured Maughan on camera and he was arrested the following day.”

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PC Fuller praised the bravery of the victims who he said had been subjected to a ‘terrifying ordeal’ during the burglary, which happened on March 9 this year, at around 6pm.

He added: “I would also like to thank the local community for their support, to the witnesses who came forward and those who gave us vital CCTV evidence. It is thanks to all of them that we were able to secure this conviction.”