Darlington man 'Chop Off' strangled mother leaving her fearing for her life
Shaun O'Connor, known as Chop Off, launched the brutal and sustained attack on his mother after he flooded her bathroom after shouting he was going to 'kill her'.
The 42-year-old grabbed her in a headlock before wrapping a towel around her head after she confronted him about his behaviour.
Teesside Crown Court heard how she tried to 'play dead' in a desperate attempt to get her son to stop the attack inside her Darlington home.
Jenny Haigh, prosecuting, said O'Connor's mother called the mental health crisis team which resulted in the defendant becoming enraged and launching his attack on her.
She said: 'He grabbed hold of her in a headlock, grabbed a towel and put it around her head. She said he was pushing her face down onto the floor and she couldn't breathe.
'She says he was telling her he wanted her 'gone' and she could feel pressure on her neck. She tried to play dead but she couldn't do that as she couldn't breathe.'
Miss Haigh said when the police arrived at the victim's home, she managed to throw the house keys out of the window to help them get in.
'She shouted down to the police that her son was trying to smothercate her and she said that if the police hadn't got there when they did, she 'would have been gone',' she added.
'She said she was petrified and passed out. The complainant said that he was stamping all over her body and she told police that he wanted to kill her.'
Shaun O'Connor (Image: Durham Constabulary)
The prosecutor said O'Connor's mother was fearful for her life and believes that if the police hadn't arrived when they did she would have been 'in the ground'.
The court heard how O'Connor had previous convictions for assaulting his mother including one on Christmas Day where he pushed her into a bush and on another occasion where he wrapped masking tape around her face.
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In 2023, O'Connor was sentenced to two years in prison after he sexually assaulted two women, exposed himself to another, assaulted an innocent man and carried out a sickening sex act in a police station cell after his arrest.
O'Connor, whose address was given as HMP Durham, pleaded guilty to attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm, intentional strangulation and two charges of criminal damage.
Recorder Paul Reid adjourned the sentencing hearing to allow more time for a victim impact statement to be prepared and to obtain a medical update on the injuries suffered by the victim.
O'Connor will return to court September 5 to be sentenced.
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