A SON who punched his mother in the head, held her in a choke hold and told her she was going to die during a violent attack has been jailed for ten months.

Judge Joanne Carroll described the assault as ‘shocking and appalling’ as jailed a 27-year-old West Cork man for assault and threat to kill.

Gda Cormac Dineen told Judge Carroll said he was called to a house at 10.20pm on October 10th last. Gda Dineen said the victim was at a neighbour’s house and was ‘visibly shaken and upset’.

She told him her son returned home drunk and became violent.

‘He was very drunk and became aggressive and violent and threw her to the ground. He assaulted her and pulled her around the floor. He then punched her in the back of her head and kicked her body and leg.’

Gda Dineen said the accused had his mother in a throat hold at one stage where she found it difficult to breathe and he told her: ‘You are going to die here tonight.’

Gardaí called in the Armed Support Unit to help with the arrest and they entered the house an hour later by force. They used pepper spray and he was restrained and arrested.

‘He was taken to Bandon Garda Station where he was found to be so drunk that he was unfit to be interviewed,’ said the garda.

‘When he was interviewed later he said he had drunk a lot that night and had taken cocaine on the previous days but not on the day of the assault.’

The court heard the accused had no recollection of the events that night.

Doorcam footage showed him arriving home and his mum later walking out.

‘It shows him laughing at her when she left,’ said Gda Dineen. Judge Carroll was told the injured party suffered swelling to the back of her head as well as bruising and cuts to her arms, neck and legs as a result of the assault.

The accused has 18 previous convictions including two for assault and four for drugs. The assault on his mother occurred while he was on bail for another offence.

Defence solicitor Éamonn Fleming said his client suffers from mental health issues and has been prescribed medication for depression and anxiety but he continued to drink while taking the medication.

‘This led to a spiral of violence which led to the assault on his mother. He was out of control on the night and he has alienated himself from his family,’ said Mr Fleming.

He is an intelligent man and works as a plumber fitter but has a self-destruct button which he can’t stop pressing.’

Judge Carroll said: ‘The violence is shocking and appalling. He punched her and held her in a choke hold telling his own mother that she was going to die. None of it is excusable.’

She sentenced him to 10 months on both charges, to run concurrently, and backdated it to when he was first placed in custody on October 13th last.

Recognisances in the event of an appeal were fixed in the defendant’s own bond of €200.