Mum suffering 'empty nest syndrome' punched son after girlfriend 'took him away from her'

A mum suffering from 'empty nest syndrome' punched her son after he moved in with his girlfriend who she said 'took him away from her'.

Pauline Randles, 57, pled guilty to two charges of criminal damage, harassment, and assault after terrorising her son for leaving her.

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The incidents took place over six weeks when Simon Randles, a policeman in his 30s, moved out of his mother's home and in with his girlfriend Lauren Stocker.

His mum sent abusive texts, including one which read: "I wish you were aborted - I wish you were sacked from your job."

At the time, Simon had recently qualified as a British Transport Police constable.

He'd had a good relationship with his mother, who he lived with, but it deteriorated when he got into a relationship.

Prosecutor Miss Ashleigh Simpson said: "The defendant started threatening him that she would take an overdose if he didn't attend to her needs immediately.

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"She did take some tablets and was taken to hospital for checks but was released the same day.

"The complainant says that the defendant did not like the fact that he was in a relationship. She stated numerous times that his girlfriend had taken him away from her and her behaviour was escalating all the time.

"When he was out with his girlfriend, the defendant would make out she was going to kill herself. On one occasion she showed pictures of a kitchen knife on a step with a message saying: 'I will kill myself with this.'"

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Pauline's behaviour eventually escalated into physical assault when she was unable to download a utility bill app on her phone.

Defence lawyer Howard Jones said: "She wanted her son to install the app but he refused to do that and the result is that it was agreed that her brother would deal with this particular matter.

"She waited outside her brother's home but he would not her in.

"Simon Randles then turned up with his girlfriend and the defendant said, 'right I will speak to the new girlfriend'."

During the incident, Pauline had said: "If I see Lauren, I will kill her."

Jones continued: "The girlfriend tried to drive away but my client stood in front trying to prevent that happening. Simon Randles used a police restraint on his mother and she did struggle a bit and was trying to get him off her."

"It was very minor assault in my opinion. She didn't want her son to come to court so she pleaded guilty."

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Simon said in a statement that he was admitted to hospital with stress because of his mother's behaviour and asked for her to be given a restraining order.

He said that the "situation had gone on for far too long."

She was fined £120. The 57-year-old also received an 18-month restraining order, which her lawyer described as 'a bullet to her heart, because that period will include Christmas.'

Pauline's defence lawyer said that his client should have received a warning about her text messages to deescalate the situation.

He said: "This is an isolated elderly lady at home with no previous convictions in a frustrating position. She has then sent some text messages which she has regretted thereafter. 

"It is perhaps unfortunate that police had not spoken to Mrs Randles originally and given her a warning about the text messages before coming to the stage of being convicted of this offence."

In his sentencing, JP Michael Danaher told Pauline: "This is a particularly serious set of circumstances."