A thug son who regularly battered his mum has been jailed.
40-year-old Mark Bates has been prohibited from seeing his victim for the rest of his life.
Bates made his mother's life a misery over a two-and-a-half year period, reports Birmingham Live.
Bates', from Staffordshire, controlling and coercive behaviour consisted of him switching the lights off and waving a knife in her face, while also holding a cigarette lighter close to her hands.
He also made threats to kill her and locked her out of her own home, as well as grabbing her head and striking her five times to her head and face.
His abuse ended with him assaulting her after she told him to stop taking cigarettes from her packet.
He pushed her to the settee, grabbed her head and punched her repeatedly to her head and face. She was left with a black eye, cuts to her face and bruising to her hand and wrist.
Now Bates has been jailed for three years and was made the subject of an indefinite restraining order which prevents him having any contact with his mum or going to her home or workplace for the rest of his life.
Prosecutor Thomas Griffiths told Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court the defendant terrorised his mum over a sustained period between July 1, 2018 and November 5, 2020.
Mr Griffiths said: "He would turn the lights off and approach her waving a knife in her face or would approach her with a cigarette lighter and hold it close to her hands.
"He held a knife to her throat and would say he would kill her and he called her a bitch.
"She returned home from work and found herself locked out. He would not let her in and she would have to sit in the garage. She gave some keys to her neighbours but he would leave keys on the inside of locks to stop her entering.
"He regularly physically assaulted her, 20 to 30 times since the passing of her husband two years ago. He would assault her at random. The form of assault would be often identical. He would hold the back of her head with one hand and punch her five times to the head and face and then simply walk away."
On November 2, 2020 he took her out in the car but drove back irate. And at 2.45am she was asleep when she heard her bedroom door open and saw him brandishing a 10-inch bread knife. He said he was just 'having a bit of fun'.
The next day the victim went out in the car with him and he bought a lighter. Mr Griffiths said: "He held the lighter up to his mother's face and threw it across the driveway."
The defendant assaulted his mum at 2.30pm on November 4. Mr Griffiths said: "His mum was watching television. He said, 'What have you got his rubbish on for'? He took three cigarettes from her packet. She told him to stop. That irritated him. She got up from the chair and was pushed to the settee. He grabbed her head with both hands and punched her repeatedly to the side of her head and face.
"She was left with a black eye, cuts to her face and bruising to her hand and wrist."
In a victim statement the defendant's mum said: "The last assault was out of the blue. I was so shocked. I only asked why he had taken three cigarettes from my packet and he got up and punched me. He usually hits me several times. I had blood coming out of my nose and ear. I was shocked and did not know what to do. I had not done anything wrong. I do not know why he has to do this. Why do I have to live in terror?
"Me and my husband suffered for years but did not want our son to have a police record.
"The thought of him coming out of prison makes me horrified."
Bates, of Neptune Grove, Birches Head, pleaded guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Judge David Fletcher said: "You pleaded guilty at a late stage to coercive and controlling behaviour. That is an offence available to the court for some years now. This is the single worst example I have had the misfortune of having to deal with.
"The pre-sentence report makes disturbing and depressing reading. It is a dreadfully sad state of affairs."
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