Gateshead thug who strangled sister then hit their mother recalled to prison on life licence; David Rowan, of Bensham, turned violent towards his family for no apparent reason and has now been recalled to prison on life licence.

Byline: By, Rob Kennedy

A violent thug strangled his sister and rained blows on her "as if she were a punchbag" before lashing out at their mother.

David Rowan turned on his sibling for no apparent reason in their mother's home, delivering a "flurry of blows". When he began strangling her, their mum tried to stop him and he responded by hitting her too.

Now the 39-year-old, who was previously jailed for public protection for robbery, has been locked up again at Newcastle Crown Court. He admitted intentional strangulation and assault charges.

The court heard that in July this year, Rowan was living with his mother in Bensham, Gateshead, and his sister lived nearby. On July 21, the mum had been out and when she came home, her daughter turned up to check she was okay as she had been unable to get in touch with her.

Claire Anderson, prosecuting, said: "They were talking when the defendant came in and was angry and shouting at his sister 'don't think I'm f taking you home'. She said she had just come to check on her mother, which angered him more.

"He threw a flurry of punches as if she were a punchbag, hitting her to the face and body. She fell onto the sofa and had blood in her mouth and pain in her eye. She thought he was going to kill her.

"She then said the defendant leapt on her and grabbed her by the throat and strangled her." Their mum then tried to intervene and grabbed Rowan, shouting 'enough is enough'.

Rowan then turned and punched his mum before going to his room and smashing things up. The mum was left with bruising and soreness while her daughter had a black...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT