A thug strangled his 88-year-old grandmother after headbutting her and punching her repeatedly in the ribs when she told him to stop drinking alcohol. He later told police his grandmother was a "liar" and claimed she had caused the injuries after falling over.
Matthew Jonathan, 37, attacked Barbara Jenkins at her home in Tonyrefail on September 9 last year after he slammed a bottle on a table and said: "If I want to f****** drink I will and no-one is going to stop me." He became violent after Mrs Jenkins told her grandson she was going to call his mother Tracey Jonathan.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday heard the defendant was living with his grandmother after the breakdown of his marriage. Mrs Jenkins described her relationship with Jonathan as "good" but when he drank alcohol he became a "completely different person".
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On the morning of the assault Mrs Jenkins noticed her grandson was drinking alcohol and told him to stop as "it wasn't healthy". Having shouted at her she called her daughter, the defendant's mother, to come round. On hearing this Jonathan went over to his grandmother and placed a fist against her face and head.
Describing the incident prosecutor James Evans said: "He headbutted her and caused her bruises. He picked up a shoe and threw that at her, making contact with her chest causing, further bruises. She said she would tell his mother about what he'd done and he grabbed her by the arms, twisting the skin so that caused it to cut.
"She showed him the injuries and he slapped her to the face five times. He grabbed her by the head and pulled it down behind his arm with her body against his and punched her repeatedly to her ribs. He said to her: 'I'll choke you' and he put his fingers around her throat and applied pressure.
"She tried to grab his fingers from her throat but was not strong enough. She pretended she had passed out but this didn't have any great effect on him. He was shouting at her at her to wake up and eventually the incident came to an end."
When Mrs Jenkins' daughter arrived at the house she saw her son lying face-down on the sofa and her mother covered in blood lying on a lounger. She said to Jonathan: "What the hell have you done?" A neighbour attended and helped to take Mrs Jenkins to hospital. The victim said: "He has kicked the s*** out of me." She was spoken to by police and said Jonathan had strangled her on September 6, days before the assault, and had caused a lump to her throat.
Jonathan, of no fixed abode, was found by police asleep at his grandmother's house and he was arrested. He denied assaulting Mrs Jenkins, called her "a liar and manipulative", and said the injuries had been caused by her falling over and hitting herself on door handles. The defendant later pleaded guilty to two counts of intentional strangulation and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Mrs Jenkins told police the assault had a "significant impact" on her and she was unable to sleep for fear of her grandson returning to her home. She said she struggled to get out of bed, was in pain and was unable to leave the house without her daughter.
In mitigation defence barrister Hannah Friedman said her client pleaded guilty to the offences on the first day of his trial after saying he loved his grandmother and "couldn't put her through it". She said he had gone through a difficult period following the end of his marriage and loss of contact with his two children. The barrister said the defendant recognised alcohol could no longer play a part in his life.
Sentencing, Recorder Barry Clarke said: "You are an adult man in your 30s and she was a vulnerable woman in her 80s. Of course she was no match for you.... You sought to blame your own grandmother and I am not persuaded you feel genuine remorse."
Jonathan was sentenced to a total of 27 months imprisonment. He was also made subject to a restraining order preventing him from contacting his grandmother indefinitely.
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