A 73-year-old pensioner from Newcastle has admitted assaulting his wife and a paramedic after police were called to his home. Thomas Means, of Jasmine Close in Walker, appeared at Newcastle Magistrates' Court and pleaded guilty to one count of assault by beating.
Police were alerted to the incident on March 20 this year by an ambulance crew who reported that Means had been violent. When officers attended the address, his wife disclosed that she had been attacked by him earlier that evening, although she did not support his arrest.
Assault after taxi argument
Clare Haswell, prosecuting, told the court that the couple had argued while coming home in a taxi. Means then struck his wife twice in the face at their home. The court heard that the retired electrician had assaulted her on previous occasions, and the couple remain together.
Means initially pleaded guilty to assaulting the paramedic earlier in the year, but the charge relating to his wife was not brought until this week. The court was told that, apart from the paramedic assault, Means had no previous convictions and had suffered a stroke 12 years ago.
Compensation ordered
Janice Hall, defending, said Means had been drinking and had no recollection of the night's events, but had been told about them by others. There were no reported injuries. Magistrates ordered Means to pay £100 compensation to his wife.
