'Unstable' Haslingden man assaulted his mother (From Lancashire Telegraph)

'Unstable' Haslingden man assaulted his mother

8:59am Thursday 13th September 2012 in News

AN ‘UNSTABLE’ man assaulted his elderly mother in a row over a hospital admission in the 1980s, a court heard.

Hilda Judson, 85, said the incident, at the hands of her son Anthony Judson, 56, had left her terrified in her own home.

Burnley magistrates were told how the defendant, who has rubella syndrome, was thought by his mother to have psychiatric problems, but he insisted he did not have any mental health issues.

The hearing was told how Mrs Judson wanted her son to have help, and was frightened by his ‘unstable nature and unp- redictability’.

After he had been arrested, Judson, who said he had been drinking before the assault, claimed to police he had gone to confront his mother over him being admitted to hospital after an overdose in the 1980s, and lost his temper.

The defendant, of Wilkinson Street, Haslingden, admitted assault by beating, on June 11, at Hasl-ingden. He was bailed until October 3, for a pre-sentence report.

Don Green, prosecuting, said just after 8pm Mrs Judson was at her home when her son turned up, unannounced, asking if he could come in and talk.

He had fallen out with her two weeks before. At first, he was calm and in control of himself, although there had been problems throughout their relationship with him expressing rage.

She opened the door, he went into the living room and sat down and, as soon as he did so, he became angry. He stood up and slammed the door against a small table, overturning it, and causing the telephone and ornaments to fall on the fireplace.

Mr Green said Mrs Judson picked up the phone to call the police, but her son put his hand on the reset button to prevent her. He was then said to have pushed her out of the way and was verbally abusive.

The victim was extremely frightened and fearful and put her hands up to her face. Judson slammed two more doors, and then left.

He said: “She was unable to stop crying, she was so frightened. Due to a problem with her tear ducts, she had not been able to cry for 12 to 16 years, but she did then.”

Mr Green said Mrs Judson was not able to go to bed as she feared her son would return.

The following morning, she found a note through the front door, apolog-ising for calling, but making no mention of the assault.