Son cleared of attack on mother after court told she bit own finger off in bid to frame him

A son was cleared of attacking his mother after telling a court she bit her own finger off in a "vindictive" bid to frame him. A jury found Kieran Fletcher not guilty of biting his mother when the two came to blows in April. The 23-year-old told Perth Sheriff Court that his mother Tracy had turned into “an absolute banshee” and must have ripped off her own finger as they grappled each other on a bed.

He said his mother had been involved in a love triangle and a fight had broken out between them when he branded her parenting skills “a disgrace.” He admitted assaulting a police officer following the incident, and sentence was deferred. Fletcher, from Perth, told the jury at his trial that he had not seen his mother bite her finger, but said it was the only explanation for her injury. He said he had punched her in self-defence after she had bitten him during the argument.



He said: "By a process of elimination the only person who could have done that injury to her was herself. My mum has had plenty years to grow up and act like an adult and stop behaving like an absolute banshee. I can only surmise that she has bitten her own finger. She wants to get her own back. It's vindictive." Fiscal depute Gavin Letford said: "She bit her own finger off just so she could get you into trouble? That's ludicrous." Fletcher replied: "It's completely ludicrous, correct."

Ms Fletcher admitted she had self-harmed in the past, but said she would not have bitten herself during the fight. She said she had blacked out after her son headbutted her, and couldn't remember suffering the injury to her finger. She said: "You're having a laugh - why would anyone bite their own finger off? I can't remember that happening but I wouldn't have done that myself." Fletcher was found not guilty of biting his mother, but admitted assaulting a police officer by butting his shoulder and making threats to officers who had come to deal with the incident on 28 April. He was remanded in custody for reports prior to sentencing.