Man jailed for assaulting mum and aunt over cash

COURT: Fifer gets 18 months after attacks on family members who refused to give money for alcohol

A Fife man who carried out vicious attacks on his elderly aunt and mother because they would not give him money for alcohol has been jailed.

Brian Sawers smothered his 79-year-old aunt with a cushion and battered his 81-year-old mother, leaving her with two black eyes and a dislodged tooth.

Sawers, 40, of Peebles Street, Kirkcaldy, carried out the violent assaults in Crossgates, where he was living with his aunt, and his mother’s home in Hill of Beath.

He appeared for sentencing at Dunfermline Sheriff Court, having previously admitted two charges.

The first attack took place on Joanne Crawford, his aunt who brought him up as a mother from a very young age, said depute fiscal Sarah Lumsden.

She had been at home watching TV on a Saturday night at 7.30pm on January 6 when a “heavily intoxicated” Sawers appeared in the house.

“He demanded that she gave him money. He pushed her on the chest and she pushed him back.

“He then grabbed a cushion from the sofa where she was sitting.

“He placed the cushion over her face, effectively smothering her. She began to struggle and started to feel lightheaded.

“She was able to escape and was extremely frightened.”

The depute said the victim fled from her home dressed in her pyjamas and went to her daughter’s house.

The second incident happened when his mother was at home watching TV between 6pm and 7pm on August 14 and a drunk Sawers turned up demanding money for more alcohol.

Ms Lumsden said: “He sat down next to her and then grabbed either side of her face and squeezed her cheeks together with such force that it caused a tooth to dislodge in her upper jaw.

“She was then punched to the head about six or seven times. She shouted for him to stop.

“He then told her he wanted his tea and stamped on her foot. She pleaded with him to stop.”

He then hit her again causing her to fall on the kitchen floor and began repeatedly punching her before leaving the house.

A neighbour heard screaming from the house and then saw Sawers “staggering past carrying a tin of beer”.

The victim sustained several large areas of bruising including two black eyes and a dislodged tooth. Sawers admitted both assaults. Sheriff Charles MacNair told Sawers: “Both of these incidents were because you wanted money to buy alcohol.

“Even now you haven’t stopped drinking. You only cut down because you didn’t have enough money to buy it.”

He jailed Sawers for 18 months and also imposed a nine-month supervised release order.