A raging gran, Dawn Devlin, 57, battered her son’s ex-partner, Gemma Fox, with a walking stick during a court showdown after he lost a custody battle.
Devlin, who has arthritis and mobility issues, began the assault by shouting insults at Fox and calling her a “dirty little rat”. She then struck Fox across the back with the stick, breaking her nose and ribs and leaving her with black eyes and bruising to her arms, legs and back.
Fox’s mother, Christine Lucas, who had just won the latest round of custody of her five children with Devlin’s son Clayton, was also injured in the attack.
The brawl only ended when Clayton stepped in and told the pair: “That is enough”.
Devlin tried to claim she acted in self-defense after Fox told her: ”I won, I will always win.” However, CCTV footage presented in court showed a different version of events, and JPs convicted Devlin of assaulting both Fox and her mother.
Lauren Hargreaves, 29, was also found guilty of assaulting Fox but cleared of attacking Christine.
In her evidence, Gemma said “angry and aggressive” Devlin began calling her names, while Hargreaves branded her a “s**g”.
She added: “She then came towards me and swung her arm and whacked me on the nose. “I could hear my mum arguing with Dawn who then hit her on the chin with a crutch.”
Gemma denied taunting her ex’s family, while her mum told the court Devlin started the attack by shouting abuse.
In her own evidence, Devlin tried to claim she was attempting to reason with Gemma about her new partner when she was shoved.
However, court usher Suzanne Brunt, who witnessed the assault, said she did not see Gemma or her mum “act aggressively in any manner”.
Devlin and Hargreaves are expected to be sentenced in May.
