Fuming gran battered son’s ex & her mum with walking stick in court showdown after he lost custody battle
A RAGING gran battered her son’s ex with a walking stick in a court showdown after he lost a custody battle.
Dawn Devlin, 57, branded Gemma Fox a “dirty little rat” after the row erupted following the hearing at St Helens family court.
The gran, who has arthritis and mobility issues, struck Gemma across the back with a stick and battered her mum, Christine Lucas.
Gemma, who had just won the latest round of custody of her five children with Devlin’s son Clayton, was also beaten up by his new partner Lauren Hargreaves.
The brawl only ended when Clayton stepped in and told the pair: “That is enough”.
Gemma was left with a broken nose, broken ribs, black eyes, and bruising to her arms, legs and back, while her mum suffered bruising to her chin and hand.
Devlin tried to claim she acted in self-defence after her son’s ex told her: ”I won, I will always win.”
But JPs convicted of assaulting both Gemma and her mum after CCTV showed a different version of events.
Hargreaves, 29, was also found guilty of assaulting Gemma but cleared of attacking Christine.
Sefton Magistrates’ Court heard the fight broke out on July 11 last year when Gemma won the latest round in her two-year custody battle.
She was told the coast was clear but as she and her mum walked to their car, Devlin and Hargreaves began yelling at them.
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. I pulled her off and that is when Lauren and I started fighting. We were just both hitting each other. I was on the floor and she was on top of me.
”She was dragging my hair and popped me in the face. Dawn did hit me too in the back with a crutch. Eventually I heard a voice saying ‘That is enough now’ and somebody dragged her off me.
“I was in absolute agony with my ribs. I fractured my nose and fractured my ribs. I had bruises all over me and black eyes and I could not pick up my little girl. It was a nightmare. I was just in agony.”
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.
But court usher Suzanne Brunt, who witnessed the assault, said she did not see Gemma or her mum “act aggressively in any manner”.
She added: “There were lots of blows. I’m not sure how many landed but both did throw blows. The first lady was waving her crutch around while the second lady was using her hand.
“Just as I was getting there, Miss Fox’s mum was saying ‘Leave her alone, leave her alone.’ I tried to disperse the people but they were just carrying on with the blows.
“I did not see Miss Fox or her mum act in a physical manner or act aggressively.”
Devlin and Hargreaves will be sentenced in May.