A night of violence saw an armed gang descend on a Stockton home where they left a man fearing for his life as the homeowner’s terrified children hid under a table.
Shannon Harbron, Aaron Pearson, Zoe Swainston and Jacob Mercer attended the Alder Road property, on the evening of October 30, 2024, following a row between Harbron and the homeowner.
Teesside Crown Court heard during the argument Harbron vowed: “I’ll be back, I’ll be back”, before attending the street with her three accomplices. The court heard the gang smashed windows with baseball bats and split a man’s head open in the violence.
The man’s partner threw plates from an upstairs window to try and deter the gang all while her three young children hid under a table. Outlining the case on Tuesday, Joe Hedworth said Harbron had visited a property on the street earlier that day to make a purchase.
‘I’ll be back’
He said as Harbron returned to her vehicle she shouted to a group of young males in the street “have you got a f***ing problem?” I’ll be back, I’ll be back” and it was at that point a woman shouted “F*** off there’s kids in the house.”
She left but just half an hour later returned in her Astra together with her co-defendants. Mr Hedworth said one of the males was seen in the back of the car swinging what was described as either a plank of wood or a baseball bat out the window.
He said shortly after the four defendants ran towards the home and [name of homeowner] and her pregnant sister rushed inside the property. He said: “[Name of homeowner’s partner] didn’t make it back inside and was trapped in the garden. There were three young children inside the house, she had locked the front door to protect them. They had hid under the kitchen table throughout the incident.”
‘I thought they were going to kill me’
The court heard the man was standing on his front doorstep as one of the male defendant’s smashed an unknown object across his head. He said: “Both male defendants stood over the complainant hitting him. He fell to the ground before standing up as the male defendants knocked him down again. They hit him over the head, the male defendant’s continued to smack him. The complainant said ‘I thought they were going to kill me’.
The court heard Swainston struck the property windows and the front door with a golf club as Harbron threw children’s toys against the house. Mr Hedworth said the pair were screaming and shouting throughout the incident.
The prosecutor said the female homeowner was upstairs throwing plates from her window in an attempt to get the defendants to leave but the violence continued. Footage of the incident was captured on a Ring doorbell.
Mr Hedworth said the video shows Pearson hitting the man with a pole and Harbron pushing the victim. Mercer can also be seen hitting the resident with a weapon.
The court heard in another clip, Swainston is swinging the golf club in the front garden. The prosecutor said it’s not clear if she struck the defendant and she appears to be hitting the window and the door.
Mr Hedworth said eventually the man managed to get inside the property but once inside he “keeled over” and the defendants fled.
‘They split my head open’
The court heard the victim attended hospital and was treated for his injuries, in a statement he said: “I’ve got swelling on my shoulder. My arm has a delve in it and I’ve got this lump on my hand. I’ve got bad swelling on my head and grazes. I’ve had 14 staples put in the right side where they split my head open. I think my nose is broken.”
The man said he has been left with PTSD and prescribed antidepressants. He said he prefers to be alone and struggles to sleep suffering from flashbacks.
Mr Hedworth said just after 9pm a police officer stopped the red Astra on Rudyard Avenue. The court heard Harbron, who was seen driving with a significant injury to her forehead, refused to provide a sample for analysis.
The Astra was searched and a black metal pole, wooden bat and a piece of wood were seized. The court heard when Pearson was arrested he used force to get away before being detained by cops.
The incident was described as a “revenge” attack in court.
- Pearson of Belle Vue Court, Norton, pleaded guilty to possession of an offensive weapon, assault by beating and grievous bodily harm.
- Swainston of Teesdale Terrace, Thornaby, admitted affray, possession of an offensive weapon and criminal damage.
- Harbron, of Rudyard Avenue, Stockton, pleaded guilty to failing to provide a specimen for analysis, criminal damage and affray.
- Mercer, of Hartside Gardens, Hartlepool, admitted possession of an offensive weapon, grievous bodily harm, and criminal damage.
In mitigation, barrister Stephen Constantine said Mercer has “psychological difficulties” and was polite and cooperative with Probation Service staff. The court heard Pearson is remorseful and accepts he struggles to regulate his emotions.
Defence barrister Rod Hunt said Harbron spent six weeks in custody for the offences before being released on bail and is now in supervised accommodation. The court heard she was able to clean in custody and approach the case with a “proper attitude”.
Mitigating on behalf of Swainston, Nicci Horton told the court the defendant has had mental health issues.
Pearson, 33, was sentenced to three years and one month in prison. Swainston, 32, was caged for 13 months and Harbron, 29, was handed a 17-month prison sentence. Mercer, 24, was jailed for three years.
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