Assaulted partner's son after getting '˜at the end of their tether with him'

Richard Alan Burrows of Rutland Road, admitted assaulting Alan Ward by beating when he appeared at Skegness Magistrates Court.

Marie Stace, prosecuting, said that at 12.40pm on July 23, Mr Ward went to his mother’s address in Rutland Road, where she lived with Burrows, with whom she had been in a relationship for eight years.

He was told to go away but he refused saying he wanted to see his mother, but Burrows came up to him waving a wrench, threatened Mr Ward and then hit him on the right arm with it.

It was said that Burrows waved the wrench at him a further three times and hit him on the right leg, causing bruising.

Burrows told police that Mr Ward was always coming round asking his mother for money and that they were at the end of their tether with him, something which was confirmed by one of their neighbours.

He said that on this occasion, he had been servicing the car when Mr Ward arrived and he had waved it around to frighten him away but did not hit him hard.

Mitigating, Asad Aziz said Mr Ward, who is 27, had turned up at the address uninvited on many occasions and did not seem to be able to accept that his mother was in a long term and happy relationship.

Mr Aziz said Mr Ward was a nuisance and was usually asking for money from his mother and that Burrows and his partner had had to call for the police on at least two occasions to remove him.

“He (Burrows) was very frank and honest with the police about what he had done,” he told the magistrates, “and neighbours have confirmed that Alan Ward has been a terrible nuisance.”

The magistrates imposed a two year conditional discharge and ordered Burrows to pay £105 in costs and charges.