Attacker hit OAP over the head with bottle in unprovoked assault

'COMPLEX MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES' MAY HAVE IMPACTED BEHAVIOUR

- By ROB KENNEDY

A CITY centre attacker who hit a pensioner over the head with a bottle during an unprovoked attack has been spared prison.

A court heard that Carla Adams had recently begun transitioning from a man to a woman and was homeless when she carried out the assault.

Adams appeared on the court list as Carl Adams but identifies as Carla Adams and was referred to using female pronouns during the sentencing hearing.

It was on October 6, 2023, that the victim, described as being in his late 60s or early 70s, was in Newcastle city centre around 3pm. Clare Anderson, prosecuting, said Adams hit the man in an unprovoked attack and he noticed she was carrying a bottle.

Miss Anderson told Newcastle Crown Court: “The defendant went into the Grainger Market, followed by the complainant, who asked why he had been assaulted. He shouted ‘come here’ and she raised a bottle as if to attack him”

Members of the public intervened and the pair started to argue and others became involved.