Ex-police trainer left elderly dad fearing for life after campaign of bullying in 'unusual household' in South Shields

Privately educated Andreas Hagemann, 46, who has been jailed, had worked for Northumbria Police and at South Tyneside College and had never been in trouble before.

But behind his veneer of respectability, and inside the family home in South Shields, he was aggressive towards his dad on a number of occasions.

Hagemann, who was described as "highly intelligent" by a judge, lived with his elderly parents in "unusual" circumstances, Newcastle Crown Court was told.

The humiliated elderly man, who described his son as "cunning" and spoke of living in a "climate of fear", said still barricades himself into his bedroom at night.

He also said he feared his son, who had attended the Royal Grammar School in Jesmond as a youngster, would kill him and moved a fire extinguisher into his bedroom in case he went through with his threat to burn his house down.

The court heard Hagemann held a knife to his dad's eyelid on once occasion, kicked him on the floor and damaged his car, a BMW.

On another occasion he lunged at his dad and when his mum got between them, she was knocked over and broke her hip.

Now Hagemann, who denied controlling and coercive behaviour on his dad and inflicting GBH on his mum but was convicted by a jury, has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.

In a victim impact statement, his dad said: "I still constantly worry about Andreas being able to come back home and cause me serious harm.

"Each night when I wake from my sleep my mind races about what could happen. It becomes so bad I will listen to the radio for hours just to take my mind off thinking about Andreas.

"I was worried he would get out of prison and come back and break in and kill me.

"When he gets the red rage, there is no logic to his thinking.

"Each night I still barricade myself in my room.

"He is cunning and it would not surprise me if he was doing some kind of deals in prison for other people to get to me.

"I don't think I can ever feel safe. The finding of guilt has not as yet made a huge difference.

"My day is filled with constant thoughts of how I can keep myself and my wife safe."

Hagemann's controlling behaviour had been going on since 2015 but Hagemann's dad had been too proud to report it.

In January last year, his mum was taken to hospital with what was believed to be a heart attack, but proved not to be.

However, Hagemann's behaviour at the hospital caused hospital staff to report safeguarding concerns. Mr Hagemann Snr was then interviewed by police.

Ian West, prosecuting, told the court: "He described what had been going on in the family home for a number of years.

"What he described was a climate of fear in the house.

"He described not being allowed to speak unless he was spoken to, he spoke of barricading himself in his room during the day to avoid contact with the defendant and said the relationship was violent."

Mr West said Mrs Hagemann was almost 80 when she suffered a fractured hip in the kitchen in August 2016, after she was knocked over as her son lunged at his dad.

The prosecutor said: "There were other episodes of violence described by Mr Hagemann in the trial. On one occasion he held a knife to his father's eye lid."Another time he threw some kind of non-corrosive liquid at him and on another occasion he was knocked to the floor and kicked.Mr West added: "There was damage done to the house, with the defendant punching holes in the walls and doors in temper and damaging his father's car on the drive."

The prosecutor said Mr Hagemann Snr is "quite a proud man" and "didn't want people to know what was going on in the house".

However, he told his GP, who pleaded with him to allow her to inform social services though he would not let her, and so the abuse continued.

When he was arrested, Hagemann said he had not behaved badly towards his parents and said he had "always been loyal and dutiful".

Judge Christopher Prince told the court Hagemann was articulate and intelligent.

He spoke of how the defendant had a degree in business administration, as well as a post graduate certificate in education and a post graduate diploma in law.

Hagemann had been a lecturer at South Tyneside College, worked for Northumbria police where he was involved in training officers and had also previously worked as a special constable. He did not work for the force at the time of the offences.The judge told him: "The jury heard evidence of you bullying and controlling your parents.

"Your mother did not give evidence but your father did and he described being in fear of you and he said you were threatening, abusive and violent.

"I conclude your conduct was intended to maximise your father's fear."Judge Prince said Hagemann had contributed positively to society through his lecturing and has suffered stress, post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression.

He also said that his risk is low while he is not at his parents' home.

Robin Patton, defending, said Hagemann, of Dean Road, South Shields, had been acquitted of controlling and coercive behaviour against his mother and said he may not have been responsible for the damage to the walls and doors in the house.

He added: "The defendant was under enormous mental health pressures.

"This defendant had a very unusual upbringing, whatever the rights and wrongs of his relationship with his father.

"He was in his early 40s without a relationship, he had the responsibility for looking after his parents on a day to day basis, there then came this overriding pressure on him to try to live in this house."

Mr Patton said Hagemann accepts his relationship with his father is over but hopes to make contact with his mother, who he was close to, through social services and fears he will never see her again.

He added that his time in Durham Prison on remand has been difficult "either because of the nature of the offending or the fact he was a former police employee", which makes him a more vulnerable prisoner.

Mr Patton added: "In ordinary circumstances he is a polite and decent person and those who know him outside the court speak well of him.

"He lived almost like a hermit in that house, they lived in a really unusual household."

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