Darlington thug jailed for violent attack on his own parents

Steven Cruickshanks launched the brutal attack on his parents when he became aggressive after returning to his temporary home after boozing in the pub.

The 43-year-old punched his father repeatedly before turning his violent attention to his mother who he slapped and punched to the ground in a flurry of blows.

A judge adjourned sentence to allow time for police to check with the defendant’s parents whether they would be willing to let him back into their Darlington home.

Steven Cruikshanks (Image: Durham Constabulary)

Cruickshanks, formerly of Lazenby Close, Darlington, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and assault by beating following his attacks on June 6 this year.

The court heard how his parents were reluctant to let their son return home but would be willing to do so as a ‘last resort’.

Sophie Allinson-Howells, mitigating, urged the judge to pass a suspended sentence for her client.

She said: “The reality of the situation because of the lack of resources and availability, there is nowhere else for him to go unless he is just to be homeless.

“If you don’t think that a suspended sentence is viable, in the circumstances, I would urge you to pass the lowest possible sentence.”

Miss Allinson-Howells said Cruickshanks’ mental health deteriorated after he was made redundant from his job at Hitachi and his long-term relationship broke down.

Judge Nathan Adams sentenced Cruikshanks to 14 months in prison after the defendant’s parents said they would let him into their home as a ‘last resort’.

He said: “I understand that at the time you were on bail for unrelated matters and the people who stood by you throughout all of this were your parents.

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“They agreed to let you return to their property without any financial support and they were the ones who supported you through those difficult times.

“You repaid them on that night by resorting to violence. This was clearly a serious incident.”

Earlier this week, Elisha Marsay, prosecuting, said the violence erupted when the defendant returned to their home and they challenged him about his drunken behaviour.

She said: “After assaulting his father, the defendant approached his mother and slapped her across the face and punched her multiple times causing her to fall to the floor.”