A self-proclaimed “spoilt brat” attacked his mother with a piece of broken crockery in a fit of temper over a lost lottery ticket.  

George Davies, 19, cut his mother Joyce’s face with a piece of a broken coffee mug during an argument at the home they shared at Maes y March in Mold on Wednesday.

Davies, now of no fixed address, and his mother had a verbal argument that arose because of the Lotto, magistrates were told yesterday.

Justin Espie, prosecuting at Wrexham Magistrates Court, said Davies became angry and made demands of his mother which made her feel intimidated.

She left to make some coffee but Davies followed and the argument continued, with Davies striking various kitchen items before throwing a cup and a coffee jar on the floor.

Ms Davies continued making coffee, Mr Espie added, but her son approached and hit her with a “piece of broken pottery”, causing a cut to her left ear.

Davies then tried to get some tissue paper to help her but she told him to go.

He then picked his mother up, but she kicked out and went outside and asked a neighbour to call for an ambulance.

When interviewed, Davies told police he had lost his temper and become angry, but said he picked up a piece of glass to scare his mother and had not intended to
hit her.

He added he had some glass in his hand,  had “swiped” at his mother which must have caused the injury and he “felt terrible about it”. 

Davies, who appeared from custody, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

He told probation officer Rachel Woodcock in an interview that he had argued with his mother because she could not find a lottery ticket and he felt he had won some money on it.

Davies said he was being selfish and told Miss Woodcock: “I’m a spoilt a brat.

“I should have looked for the ticket myself.”

Miss Woodcock told the court  that Davies, who had spent time in foster care earlier in his life, had anger management issues and his problems stemmed from his upbringing.

She felt there was a pattern of behaviour, as Davies had received a caution for headbutting his mother, knocking her unconscious, and his remorse prompted him to call an ambulance. 

Miss Woodcock said she would have recommended immediate custody if social services staff had not said they would assess Davies after the hearing, adding there was a duty of care to find him accommodation.

He posed a high risk of serious harm to his mother, but that would be reduced because new accommodation was being provided, magistrates heard.

Fiona Larkin, defending, said the caution was in November 2015 and there had been no other call out to the address.

Davies did not return to live with his mother, a schizophrenic, until the age of 17.

It was not clear whether Ms Davies had been on medication, Miss Larkin said, and “clearly there had been some difficulty”.

While it was not an excuse, he was in a difficult situation and Davies felt he had an issue with anger. 

It was clearly a serious offence, but there were circumstances around it relating to Davies’ issues with his mother and the fact he had been in  care since the age of 10.   

Magistrates agreed with Miss Woodcock’s suggestion of a
one-year community order with a 40 day rehabilitation activity requirement and 150 hours of unpaid work.

Davies must also pay £85 both in prosecution costs and as a surcharge.

Magistrates’ chairman Terry Eastham said the panel felt to awarding compensation would aggravate matters rather than help them.  

He told Davies: “You clearly had a difficult upbringing and we sympathise with that.

“You still have issues that you are working on and you need to develop better responses to your anger management.”

Mr Eastham took note of Davies’ guilty plea but highlighted his caution for a previous assault on his mother and said smashing a cup and using a piece of it as he had was a “very serious matter”.