Simon Arthur: Assault

Simon Arthur (Liberal Democrats)

Councillor Simon Hugh Arthur has admitted assaulting his 87 year-old mother who said she was "terrified" by her son after he subjected her to a catalogue of assaults.

Simon Hugh Arthur, 44, admitted trying to drag his elderly mother, Isabelle Arthur, from her car.

Arthur, who represents Newton ward on Mumbles Community Council, also admitted grabbing a knife and lunging towards a police officer.

Mrs Arthur said she was "terrified" by her son, who had stood as Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the Liberal Democrats in the 2010 General Election.

Sharon Anderson, prosecuting, read a statement to Swansea Magistrates Court from Mrs Arthur in which she said her son "treats her like a dog", and that she is living on eggshells.

The prosecutor added that Arthur had admitted to police in interview that he had punched his mother on a number of previous occasions.

Mrs Arthur — who was described in court as "frail" — had been out for the day on July 21 but said she was too scared to return to the home they share, instead choosing to wait in a Mumbles car park.

She said she regularly went to the car park to avoid going home, and had even slept there overnight previously.

Around 8pm she did go home and parked in the driveway but her son had locked all the doors to their home in Summerland Lane, Newton.

The court heard that at around 11.30pm Arthur came out of the house and began the attack.

Mrs Arthur's statement read: "He came over, opened the driver's side door, grabbed hold of my hair and tried to pull me out of the car. It was like he was possessed."

He tried to grab her a second time, but failed, before shouting "You'll burn" and "You'll suffer in the after life".

The court was told Mrs Arthur, who uses a walking stick, then tried to make her way down the driveway to get help but her son grabbed her stick from her, using it to block her path.

Mrs Arthur fell to the ground and dragged herself along the floor.

She crawled out of the drive and her son followed, eventually trying to pick her up — but she told him to leave her alone.

A neighbour saw what was going on and called the police.

Mrs Arthur escaped serious injury in the assault.

In her statement she said her son had never had a proper job and always relied on her for financial support.

He had a "nasty temper," and he had got "more controlling" since Mrs Arthur's husband died 22 years ago.

Last year, after Mrs Arthur's twin brother, Peter, died Arthur's behaviour "escalated," she said.

Ms Anderson said after his uncle's death, Arthur told his mother: "It should be you that's gone, not Peter" and "I hope you have an awful death".

In her statement Mrs Arthur said: "I try and let it go over my head but when it's physical, I can't excuse it."

When police arrived on the night of the attack, they took Arthur into the kitchen where he opened a drawer and grabbed a knife.

A statement by PC Greg Bowen which was read out to the court described how Arthur raised the knife above his head and lunged at the officer.

PC Bowen and another officer managed to grab the knife.

"If he'd have been given a split second more than allowed he would have brought the knife down on me," the constable's statement said.

Arthur later told police he had he locked the doors to the house "out of spite", and said he did not remember most of the incident and had drunk more than a bottle of wine.

In his interview, he said he did not intend to hurt the police officer, but wanted to commit suicide.

The court heard Mrs Arthur did not support the prosecution against her son and would not make a formal complaint but wanted him to get help.

Her statement continued: "I now realise he will hurt me if he carries on, I don't know what I have done to deserve this. I want him out of my house, I want him to get the help he needs."

Magistrates were told she had contacted social services who had advised her to write a letter, asking her son to leave the premises — but he had responded by laughing and throwing it away.

Arthur had been involved in six domestic violence incidents against his mother since August last year, the court heard.

After he admitted having previously punched his mother, officers asked him to indicate the force he had used on a scale of one to ten. He replied "two".

Laura Sherwood, representing Arthur, said she did not plan to mitigate until a pre-sentence report had been prepared.

Arthur, who admitted two charges of common assault, was remanded in custody until August 6.

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Ronald Ford: assault

Councillor Ronald Ford assaulted his partner after she found out about his affair has been ordered to pay a total of £700.

Construction worker Ronald Ford, 55, was spotted by the woman standing in the street outside his home during the early hours of Sunday morning “with a female who had an unhealthy interest in him”.

When he came into the house, his partner followed him into the bedroom where he was sitting on the bed sending a text message.

Jedburgh Sheriff Court was told on Monday that she grabbed the mobile phone and read a message from a woman called Lee.

The message read: “How do you ever find time to work dealing with her in the morning and me in the afternoon?”

Prosecutor Graham Fraser said: “An argument ensued and she hit him twice. He punched her on the face, causing her to fall to the ground and kicked her on the legs. He stopped attacking her and went to bed, but there was a degree of tension in the house. The partner went to see her step-son and the police were phoned at 1.30am.”

Mr Fraser said the partner suffered swelling and redness to her face, but declined medical attention.

Ford appeared in the dock with a bandaged hand and a black eye, but this was attributed to an altercation with his son. The court was told that the couple’s 13-year relationship was now over and that she had suspected him in the past of being unfaithful.

Ford told police “there was a bit of a scuffle” and admitted showing too much interest in the other woman.

He pleaded guilty to a charge of domestic assault at their home in Market Place, Earlston, on Sunday after appearing from custody.

Ed Hulme, defending, said: “The background to this has come to light. There was a heated argument which became physical as he tried to get his phone back.”

First offender Ford – who is a member of Earlston Community Council – was fined £200 and ordered to pay his former partner £500 in compensation.

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Daniel Sutherland: Assault

Daniel Sutherland (Labour)

Councillor Daniel Sutherland (Lab, Illingworth and Mixenden) appeared at Calderdale Magistrates Court on July 10 to face a charge of assault by beating against the woman.

The 23-year-old councillor, of Valley View, Halifax, spoke only to confirm his name, age and address during the initial hearing at Calderdale Magistrates Court.

He pleaded not guilty to the incident that is alleged to have taken place after a party on June 24.

The case was adjourned for a trial at Bradford Magistrates Court on November 1, 2012.

Councillor Sutherland represents Illingworth and Mixenden ward and chairs the council’s planning committee.

He is also a member of the council’s governance and business committee and the social care for children review group.

Councillor Sutherland has played rugby for Ovenden Rugby League Football Club for six years.

He is a member of the management board at Illingworth Centre Committee, Mixenden Parent’s Committee and the North Halifax Partnership.

His mother, Lisa Lambert, who accompanied him to court, was elected to the council in May.

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Kyle-Noel Taylor: Woman beater

Labour Ex-councillor Kyle-Noel Taylor

Kyle-Noel Taylor was convicted in December of four counts of assault by beating 19-year-old Rebecca Jackson following a trial at North Staffordshire Magistrates' Court.

The 20-year-old is today starting a six-month jail term after a judge yesterday threw out his appeal, ruling that Taylor had not been truthful.

Earlier, a magistrate who had sat in Taylor's previous trial was told to leave the court's public gallery by the judge because the defendant argued he would not get a fair hearing.

Following the verdict, Taylor, who has always denied the charges, was axed from his position as Kidsgrove ward councillor on Newcastle Borough Council with immediate effect.

Sentencing Taylor, of Victoria Avenue, Kidsgrove, Judge Robert Trevor-Jones said: "We are of the view that the claimant has told the truth to the court and has been the victim of repeated assaults at the hands of the appellant."

Taylor first met Miss Jackson when the pair were at high school together and they were in an "on and off" and "volatile" relationship for around three-and-a-half years, Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard yesterday.

The attacks related to incidents on January 6, January 22, January 25 and March 24 last year.

One of the attacks took place just hours after Taylor, who had no previous convictions, returned home from a Newcastle Borough Council meeting.

On January 6, Taylor butted and struck Miss Jackson in the face following an argument over ex-partners, which left Miss Jackson with a chipped front tooth.

Then on January 22, Taylor attacked Miss Jackson by punching her in the head, grabbing her round the neck and banging her head on a kitchen counter.

In an incident on January 25, Taylor bit Miss Jackson's finger when she confronted him about cheating on her and punched her in the stomach when she told him she might be pregnant.

And on March 24, Taylor butted Miss Jackson three times, punched her in the face and bit her on the cheek.

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Paul Woodall: Assault

Councillor Paul Woodall (Kingswinford North)

Tory councillor Paul Woodall has pleaded guilty to assault after he threw a pudding bowl at his wife’s head during a meal-time row.

Paul Woodall’s wife Joanne was left with a one-inch cut to her forehead and blood pouring down her face after she spilled the bowl of food down him , Dudley Magistrates Court heard.

Magistrates granted Cllr Woodall unconditional bail and adjourned the case for sentencing until Thursday February 23.

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