A Massachusetts man has been convicted of assault after he attacked a woman because she did not say ‘good morning’ to him.
Ian Atkinson, 34, savagely beat the 59-year-old woman as she was watering plants in the garden of her Boston home.
Her ordeal took place on July 13 last year, while Atkinson was still wearing an ankle monitor for a previous offense.
Prosecutors told the court that the attack was sparked by Atkinson, who told the victim, ‘when people say good morning to you, you should say hi you crazy b***h’, NBC Boston reports.
His lawyers claimed he was acting in self-defense and accused the victim of spraying him with a garden hose and biting him.
However, the argument fell apart in court after the victim was able to produce a cellphone recording of the attack.
The harrowing clips show Atkinson exiting his black Mercedes and stomping over to the woman before unleashing a hail of blows.
Ian Atkinson has been convicted of assault after he attacked a woman because she did not say ‘good morning’ to him
The first punch landed with a sickening blow, silencing the woman who had been singing just moments before.
Additional surveillance footage showed another angle of the horrific attack, as well as Atkinson attempting to mow down the victim in his car.
The woman was left with a broken nose, severe bruising to her head and face, and a burst blood vessel in her left eye.
Police arrived at her home at around 9am and found her ‘bleeding profusely.’ She was then taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Atkinson, who did not know his victim, was arrested a few days after the attack after she was able to note down his license plate.
Police were then able to track his location due to GPS monitoring.
Atkinson waived his right to a jury trial and was found guilty of battery and assault with a deadly weapon by a judge after just three days.
He was sentenced to two years in jail, followed by another two years on probation. He has previous convictions for drugs and assault offences.
Atkinson, 34, savagely beat the 59-year-old woman as she was watering plants in the garden of her Boston home
She managed to record some of the attack on her cellphone. The assault left her ‘bleeding profusely’ with a broken nose and burst blood vessel in her eye
‘For this victim, a pleasant summer morning descended into a violent and cruel ordeal for the most inexplicable of reasons,’ Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said.
‘But, even as she was being attacked, she had the presence of mind to record video, and that decision, along with her brave testimony, provided enough evidence for the judge to make his decision.
‘I join all the members of the community in thanking this survivor for her courage.’
