Crack addict tried to kick mum's partner to death
Cleveland PoliceA crack addict who tried to kick his mum's partner to death in a "sadistic" attack to get money for drugs has been jailed for 24 years.
Alex Ibbetson, 34, described himself as a "maniac" and said he hoped his 68-year-old victim would die as he repeatedly kicked and stamped on his head in the street on 2 October, Teesside Crown Court heard.
The man spent 20 days in an induced coma and his family said he would serve a "life sentence" because of his "heartbreaking" brain injuries.
The judge said Ibbetson, who admitted attempted murder, had a "pattern" of demanding drug money and the victim had been "flagged" as being at risk three years before the attack.
Ibbetson, who had a history of violent offending, launched the attack outside the home he shared with his mother on Richmond Court, Middlesbrough, at about 19:00 BST, prosecutor Michael Bunch said.
The victim and Ibbetson's mother had been in a relationship for more than 10 years and Ibbetson regularly used "bullying and violence" to get drug money from them, the court heard.
'Not bothered by footage'
Sections of assault, which lasted more than seven minutes, were captured on CCTV with Ibbeston seen stamping on, kicking and back-heeling the "prone" man in the head and face at least 20 times, the court heard.
Ibbetson had earlier struck the man with a wooden chopping board and punched him to the ground multiple times, the prosecutor said.
Audio recorded by the CCTV heard Ibbetson declare himself to be a "maniac" and shouting the man was going to die, with the attacker later heard saying: "Please die tonight."
When he was arrested at the scene, Ibbetson told officers had "kicked this [man's] head in".
In his police interview, he claimed he could not remember the attack after drinking and taking crack cocaine earlier in the day, the court heard.
When he was shown the footage, Ibbetson said he was "not bothered" and "never had any feelings about anything", Mr Bunch said.
The victim spent 20 days in an induced coma being kept alive by machines, the prosecutor said, and he remained in hospital still.
'Never be the same'
In a statement read to the court, the victim's son said the man, whose injuries included multiple broken bones in his face and his head "ballooning" to twice its size, looked as though he had been hit by a car.
He said his father's chances of survival had been "slim" and his injuries had had a devastating affect on the once independent and self-assured man.
He had "been dealt a life sentence" and would "never be the same again" either physically or mentally because of the "life-changing injuries", his son said.
"To see him like he currently is is heartbreaking for us all," he added.
The court heard Ibbetson had 63 offences on his criminal record including jail spells for attempted armed robbery, conspiring to supply crack cocaine and violence.
Judge Jonathan Carroll said for at least 15 years Ibbetson had seen his family as a "source of easy money" to fund his drug addiction and would resort to "threats, bullying and violence" against them if they resisted his demands.
Ibbetson's mother and her partner were "especially" targeted and the man had been "flagged as at risk" in 2022 by police and probation services, the judge said.
Ibbetson's attack was "sustained and sadistic," the judge said, with the attacker taking a break part way through for "respite" and continuing to kick the man when he was "on the ground and defenceless".
His intentions was "nothing less than to kill", the judge said.
Having been deemed dangerous offender who posed a serious risk of harm, Ibbetson will also have to serve a further five years on extended licence upon his release.
