Vulnerable man with multiple sclerosis attacked in his own Notts home by 'stepdad'

A vulnerable Nottinghamshire man with multiple sclerosis was assaulted in his own home by his 'stepfather', a court heard.
NEWS from Nottingham Magistrates' Court.NEWS from Nottingham Magistrates' Court.
NEWS from Nottingham Magistrates' Court.

Christopher Verlaine-Maddison lived at the house with his mum, Yolande, and her partner, 44-year-old Mark McCormick, who lost his temper with him in a row about a laptop.

Mr Verlaine-Maddison slept in the living room because he struggled to get upstairs. But when he came home to the room at 9.55 pm on Monday, August 10 last year, he was surprised to find his laptop had been switched off.

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Sumaiya Khan, prosecuting at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court, said: “It had been done without his permission and he believed McCormick had done it maliciously.

“He was upset and angry because he had unsaved work on the laptop which might have been lost.

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“However, McCormick reacted by grabbing Mr Verlaine-Maddison’s T-shirt with both hands and throwing him into a mirror that smashed.

“He wrestled him to the floor and put his left foot on his chest, pinning him to the floor.

“Mr Verlaine-Maddison was scared and feared he would be hurt. He was in a state of shock and felt intimidated.

“His mother tried to get McCormick off him, but he kicked Mr Verlaine-Maddison in the face before leaving the house.”

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Mrs Khan said Mrs Verlaine-Maddison and McCormick had since split up and she no longer wanted him anywhere near her home.

He paid nothing towards the upkeep of the property on Godber Road, Hucknall, and she feared for the safety of herself and her son.

McCormick, who now lives at Peacock Crescent, Clifton, Nottingham, admitted assault.

The court heard that when he was interviewed by the police, he acceoted there had been a “verbal altercation” over the laptop, but denied throwing Mr Verlaine-Maddison against a mirror.

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He said it was Mr Verlaine-Maddison who started throwing punches and he acted in self-defence by trying to restrain him.

Ran Johal, mitigating, said McCormick and Mrs Verlaine-Maddison had been together for 10 years and this was the first time she had seen him behave like this.

Mr Johal said: “It was an unpleasant incident, but out of character.”

He said McCormick had had regular contact with the man he regarded as his stepson. And one of the reasons why he pleaded guilty, having initially denied the offence, was because he did not want to put Mr Verlaine-Maddison through the ordeal of giving evidence at a trial.

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Sentencing, District Judge Dick Marshall told McCormick: “You have not been in a lot of trouble before. This was a classic example of a small argument getting out of control.

“The aggravating feature is the vulnerability of the victim.”

Judge Marshall handed McCormick a community order of 90 hours of unpaid work, and a restraining order, banning him from contacting the Verlaine-Maddisons and going to Godber Road.

He was also ordered to pay court costs of £500, compensation to Mr Verlaine-Maddison of £100 and a victim surcharge of £60.

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