A woman from Newcastle, Caroline Aggas, has been sentenced after violently assaulting her vulnerable mother in their home. The incident, which occurred on September 19, 2023, left the victim bruised and suffering from fear, prompting police involvement after a speech and language therapist reported the attack.
According to the prosecution, represented by Jennifer Coxon, Aggas was under the influence of alcohol during the assault. The victim recounted that while they were in the living room, Aggas punched, kicked, and nipped her. In a distressing escalation, she also threw water over her mother and discarded her medication out of a window. The victim, who struggles with mobility issues, faced significant challenges in retrieving her medication as a result.
The incident took a further alarming turn when Aggas kicked a television screen, causing it to crack, and pressed a knife against her mother’s chest, resulting in a small cut. The victim managed to go outside in an attempt to recover her medication, where she encountered two speech and language therapists who immediately noticed the bruising on her arm and chest.
When the police arrived, the victim expressed that she felt “genuinely petrified” and struggled to sleep following the attack. She spent over a week in hospital due to her injuries.
Aggas, aged 41 and residing on Atkinson Road in Benwell, pleaded guilty to assault, acknowledging that she had kicked, scratched, and punched her mother during a scuffle. However, she maintained that she did not intentionally use the knife against her mother.
In response to the case, Recorder Rebecca Brown sentenced Aggas to a 13-month suspended sentence for 18 months, alongside a six-month drug rehabilitation requirement and a restraining order against her mother. The judge emphasized that Aggas’s actions represented a profound violation of the trust typically found within family relationships.
Aggas’s defense attorney, Jordan Parkinson, highlighted that there have been no incidents since the assault and that Aggas has not communicated with her mother following the event. Parkinson noted that Aggas was heavily influenced by drugs and alcohol at the time, which contributed to her behavior.
Expressing remorse for her actions, Aggas acknowledged her turbulent upbringing and the ongoing struggles with substance abuse as a coping mechanism for her mental health issues. Parkinson revealed that Aggas had been encouraged by her son to seek help in order to play a role in her grandchild’s life, should she choose to overcome her challenges.
The case underscores the importance of addressing domestic violence and the complex dynamics that often accompany such incidents. Aggas’s future will depend significantly on her commitment to rehabilitation and her ability to mend the fractured relationships within her family.
