A man called his mum a "fat b****" before brandishing a knife and threatening to burn down her house.
Liverpool Crown Court heard today, Tuesday, that Michael Smith "barged his way into" his mum's home on Claremont Road in Billinge on March 20 this year. Suzanne Payne, prosecuting, described how the 34-year-old was "soaking wet", and she washed and dried his clothes as he fell asleep on a sofa in the living room.
His brother asked him to leave the address and twice called the police when he refused, but officers did not attend "due to low resources". The following morning, Smith's mother also asked him to leave but he refused again and "became aggressive".
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The dad, of Kendal Drive in St Helens, called her a "fat b****" and punched her in the knee. He then went into the kitchen, picked up a knife and said he would "stab everyone and burn the house down".
After putting the weapon down, Smith elbowed his brother in the head and body - knocking him to the floor. He left the property at this stage and was locked out, kicking out at the door several times before police arrived.
Under interview following his arrest, the defendant said he had a "good relationship with his mother but doesn't get along with his brother" and denied committing the assaults or arming himself with the blade. Smith has a total of 24 previous convictions for 41 offences, including being handed a 12-week imprisonment suspended for a year in April 2022 for driving while disqualified.
Mike Flynn, defending, told the court: "It is a particularly nasty and unpleasant incident, especially coupled with the defendant's previous convictions. He is remorseful in relation to what took place and he has taken positive steps while he has been incarcerated.
"The defendant's father had passed away just before Christmas. He hasn't seen his daughter for a period of four years.
"It seems the two factors led to the defendant starting to use cocaine as a coping mechanism. It didn't work."
Smith admitted affray, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, assault and breaching a suspended sentence order. He was jailed for 48 weeks and handed a five-year restraining order.
Sentencing, Recorder Michael Armstrong said: "I have considered carefully your significant criminal history and, in my judgement, this is a significant aggravating feature. I have considered what has been said on your behalf - the loss of your father and isolation from your daughter, and the positive steps you have taken."
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