A Kidderminster man who beat up his mother and then stole £20 from her purse has been jailed for eight months.

Philip Arnold armed himself with scissors and a knife and at one stage his mother thought she was going to be killed, said Mr Paul Whitfield, prosecuting at Worcester Crown Court.

Arnold, aged 40, of York Court, pleaded guilty to assaulting Carol Arnold causing her actual bodily harm on March 21.

Mr Whitfield said Arnold struck her in the face in a fit of aggression, pushed her to the floor and twisted her fingers. He laughed, spat in her face and threatened to kill her and her partner.

He told police he had been annoyed because his mother had given him a “frosty” reception.

Mr David Taylor, defending, said Arnold had mental health problems and complained of “hearing voices.”