‘Empty nest’ mom punched son after girlfriend ‘took him away from her’

Mothers live the first quarter of their children’s lives doting on their every need. At least in most cases. When their child grows up, some cannot wait for them to leave the house and make a life of their own. Others dread that inevitable day when their little chick wants to leave the roost. One self-proclaimed ’empty nester’ mother was not just upset when her son decided to move in with his girlfriend, she was furious. Not only did she verbally abuse him, but she physically attacked him too. Now, she is facing hefty fines and 12 months of community service.

Empty nester gone rogue

57-year-old Pauline Randles was highly upset. Her son, PC Simon Randles, moved out of their home to live with his girlfriend. She says that she is now suffering from “empty nest syndrome“. A condition that most mothers face when their children leave home. Depression and anxiety are both symptoms of the empty nester, but in Pauline’s case, anger and jealousy took over.

PC Simon Randles is a newly qualified constable for the British Transport police. He is in his 30s and has just moved in with his girlfriend, Lauren Stocker. Pauline not only threatened to commit suicide, she was also furious with Lauren. In an angry confrontation on April 25th, she claimed that she was responsible for “taking him away from her’. Not only that, but Pauline threatened to kill Lauren. “If I see Lauren, I will kill her,” were Pauline’s exact words.

This threat made Lauren fearful, and she allegedly tried to drive away. According to the prosecutor’s statement in the Warrington Magistrate’s court, Pauline tried to stand in the way of her car. PC Simon tried to get her out the way of Lauren’s car, but Pauline kicked his leg and punched his face. He was forced to use his police training to restrain her on the ground.

“I wish you were...”

Pauline then started harassing her son with hurtful text messages. She would threaten to commit suicide whenever PC Simon and Lauren were enjoying a night out. She would threaten to overdose, or to self-mutilate. The empty nester even went so far as to send a picture of a kitchen knife, labeling it as her weapon of choice. Furthermore, Pauline would send messages to her son saying things like: “I wish you were aborted,” and “I wish you were sacked from your job.”

The stress of his mother’s harassment became very stressful for PC Simon. He started suffering from depression and anxiety from the ongoing harassment. In a statement, Simon said that he had even been admitted to hospital because of the emotional trauma. He eventually asked for a restraining order against his mother, saying the “situation had gone on for far too long.“

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Prosecutor statement

Roxanne Simpson was the prosecutor of the case. She spoke to the magistrate in court, “The defendant started threatening him that she would take an overdose if he didn’t attend to her needs immediately. She did take some tablets and was taken to hospital for checks but was released the same day. The complainant says that the defendant did not like the fact that he was in a relationship. She stated numerous times that his girlfriend had taken him away from her and her behavior was escalating all the time.”

She then went on to describe the hurtful messages that Pauline the empty nester would send to her son at all hours. This resulted in her client asking for a restraining order. The only request that Simon had was for his mom to not contact him at all. “Mrs. Randles was doing whatever she could to maximize fear and distress in her son,” said Simpson. “The defendant used threats of suicide to harass and emotionally abuse him. Mr Randles has requested a restraining order with one term – simply that she should not contact him by any means whatsoever.”

The defense’s approach

Howard Jones, Pauline’s defense lawyer, then came up for his client in court. He emphasized the fact that she was currently struggling as an empty nester. “Mrs. Randles has been struggling in the recent period with her son’s new relationship,” said Jones. “He was a big support for his mother but he ultimately left the home address and she had difficulty coming to terms with that. She obviously felt very isolated and would say that the new girlfriend was preventing him going around and helping with anything. She was getting more isolated and depressed and was drinking.”

Because Pauline did not want he son to come to court, she pleaded guilty. She was charged with two counts of criminal damage, harassment, and assault. The consequences of the assault did not only result in a 1-month restraining order from her son, but also a hefty £120 fine to pay. The barrister of the case said the 12-months ban from seeing or contacting her son will be “like a bullet to her heart, because that period will include Christmas.“

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