Drunken thug punched his mum and stamped on her face

The brutal unprovoked attack by Philip Ballard landed his mum in hospital where she was treated for multiple facial fractures and bruising to her body.

Forty-year-old Ballard has now been jailed for three years after a jury found him guilty in inflicting grievous bodily harm to Debra Ballard.

He had faced a more serious charge of causing grievous bodily harm to her but was cleared of that offence. Judge David Aubrey, KC, told him the if he had been convicted of that offence he would have adjourned for a report to ascertain whether he should be classed as dangerous.

Ballard, of Ansty Close, Laffak, had also been accused of assaulting his then girlfriend, racially aggravated assault on her and damaging his mum’s bed by repeatedly stabbing it with a knife. The jury found him not guilty of those three offences.

Neil Bisarya, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court that the defendant and his mother had a difficult relationship and his relationship with his then girlfriend had been on-off because he had been abusive to her.

On the afternoon of January 14 this year the couple and two male friends were drinking at Mrs Ballard’s home in St Helens. “She did not want them to come round, but she had to just put up with them. Around 10 pm she went to bed.”

Later there was a fight between Ballard and one of the men inside and outside the property. After that man and his friend left Ballard came back in and he went up to his mum’s bedroom.

“He awoke her,  spitting at her, punching her in the face, stamping on her face and kicking her. He was extremely angry with her and calling her a grass,”  said Mr Bisayra. 

“The assault lasted some time and she kept trying to leave her bedroom but he prevented her from leaving. He grabbed a kitchen knife and kicked over a bed lamp.”

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It was alleged that he repeatedly stabbed her bed with a knife and then went into the living room and assaulted his girlfriend, used racist abuse and threatened to stab her. She left and called the police and he was arrested.

His mum was taken to Whiston Hospital where shows found to have multiple facial fractures around her left eye socket and to her left cheekbone. She had two black eyes, bruising to her chest, right hand and left arm.

His then girlfriend also attended the hospital and was found to have bruises, a nose bleed and possible broken eye socket.

When interviewed Ballard, who has previous convictions, claimed she had attacked him and he had grabbed her by the throat to stop her assaulting him. He denied using racist slurs.

He said that after she left he went to ask his mum for a cigarette and after a verbal argument she punched him in the nose and he grabbed her in self-defence and pushed her and she fell to the floor hurting her arm.

Ballard claimed that as she fell he stumbled and his foot accidentally landed on her face causing the facial injuries.

Liverpool Crown Court (Image: Stock)

Sentencing him Judge Aubrey said, “I am satisfied that you in drink attached your mother. You have a temper.”

He said that while she had sought to protect him during the trial he had no doubt that what she had said to police in her long statement was the truth.  He said he also had no doubt that they had “issues.”

“On this night you had been drinking to excess during which there was an argument between you and her and you punched her in the face.

“I am satisfied that you used your foot as a weapon to kick and stamp on her head and face. As a result of the attack, which was totally and utterly unprovoked in drink, your own mother received a number of serious injuries.”

Judge Aubrey told Ballard, “I have no doubt when in drink you can become an angry man and you have a temper. 

“You showed your mother no mercy whatsoever on the night in question.”

He added that if he had been convicted of the more serious assault offence Ballard would have received a much longer sentence.

The defendant repeatedly shook his head and sighed heavily as he was led to the cells.