Mother and son jailed over brutal Lincoln stairwell attack

A mother and son have been jailed after a serious assault in Lincoln in which a man suffered a bleed on the brain, Lincoln Crown Court heard. The court was told that Sarah Mason, 47, and Matthew Pearson, 29, repeatedly punched, kicked and stamped on 37-year-old Alan Ward in the stairwell of his flat on Monks Road on 31 August 2025. Prosecutors said Mr Ward was struck 160 times during the attack. Both defendants, who were said in court to have no fixed address, admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent. Pearson also pleaded guilty to three further charges of assaulting emergency workers and one count of criminal damage on the same date. Judge Simon Hirst sentenced Pearson to 10 years and three months in prison, with an extended licence period of four years. Mason was jailed for eight years. Sentencing them, Judge Hirst said they had "savagely and relentlessly" attacked Mr Ward in the corridor where he lived. The judge said the pair had encouraged each other during the assault. According to the prosecution case, Mason initially appeared to hold her son back before later joining in the attack. After the assault, the pair left the scene. Mr Ward was later found by a neighbour and taken to hospital for treatment. The court heard that Pearson later became violent and assaulted three police officers. His sentence reflected both the grievous bodily harm offence and the additional offences of assaulting emergency workers and criminal damage. During the hearing, the prosecution outlined the nature of the attack, the injuries suffered by Mr Ward and the events said to have followed later that day. The court also heard mitigation on behalf of both defendants before sentence was imposed. In mitigation, Mason's barrister said she had no history of violence and was ashamed of her actions. The court heard she had limited recollection of the day because of alcohol and painkiller misuse. The judge said the assault was of extreme seriousness and highlighted the sustained level of violence involved. The court was told Mr Ward suffered very serious injuries, including a bleed on the brain, following the attack in the communal stairwell. Pearson was sentenced for the grievous bodily harm offence as well as the further offences he admitted. Mason was sentenced for the grievous bodily harm offence. The hearing took place at Lincoln Crown Court, where both defendants had already admitted the main charge before being sentenced. The Lincoln Post has not independently verified these claims. The case concerns a serious violent offence in a residential block on one of Lincoln's main roads. Court proceedings focused on the admitted offences, the injuries caused to Mr Ward and the personal mitigation advanced for each defendant before the prison terms were handed down.