A mum who throttled her son’s partner before pulling a knife on him has been ordered to carry out unpaid work.
Sarah Craig appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where she admitted bursting into a property and grabbing the woman and causing her breathing to become restricted.
It was stated that the 39-year-old then snatched up a kitchen knife and threatened her son.
Craig, who has a long record of previous convictions, spent seven months on remand over the incident.
Mum appeared at door
Fiscal depute Kirsty Martin told the court that at around 10pm on June 25 last year, Craig appeared at the door of his son’s partner’s home in Connington Terrace, Aberdeen, stating that she had some food for her son.
“The accused appeared to be angry and under the influence of alcohol,” the fiscal depute said.
“Her son opened the door and the accused immediately pushed past him and seized hold of his girlfriend by the neck with both hands and pushed her against the wall of the hallway – her breathing was temporarily restricted.
“The accused was screaming ‘you’re f****** over my son’ whilst she held her neck, before she was forcibly moved off the younger woman by her son.”
Craig and her son then began struggling with each other, which moved into the living room of the flat.
Picking up a black-handled kitchen knife, Craig gripped it in her hand while pointing at her son with the other hand.
Craig’s son managed to get the knife off her but they continued to struggle, with him managing to get her out of the property.
She continued to shout at the couple from outside until her son ordered her to go away.
In the dock, Craig pleaded guilty to one charge of assault and a second charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by brandishing a knife.
Mum spent months in custody
Defence solicitor John Hardie explained that his client had spent seven months on remand as a result of this incident.
Mr Hardie added that he believed his client would benefit from the help of the social work department if she was to be released into the community.
“She is in need of social work assistance and they are ready for her upon her potential release,” he said.
Sheriff Graham Buchanan told Craig that a social work report into her background had recommended that she be released and that he felt she had spent long enough in custody for this offence.
“It would be difficult to say that anything more in terms of punishment would be required,” he said.
As an alternative to further time in custody, Sheriff Buchanan made Craig subject to a community payback order for 12 months and ordered her to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work.
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