A man from Oxfordshire faced court charges alleging he pushed his mother to the ground while making fun of her.

Samuel Whitmore, who lives at Heather Close in Carterton, was handed a custodial term at Oxford Crown Court on Thursday, April 2.

The 22-year-old entered guilty pleas to two counts of assaulting emergency responders, one count of assaulting his mother physically, and one count of wounding her under section 20.

Sandra Beck outlined the prosecution’s account, stating that Whitmore had been at the Grapes and Tomatoes venue in Carterton on May 16 the previous year.

He was denied entry due to being overly intoxicated and became embroiled in a physical confrontation.

Officers secured him in the back of a police car with restraints, where initially he settled down. However, his attitude abruptly changed and he launched into a stream of abusive language directed at the officers, making threats of a sexual nature and declaring he would knock them out.

On July 11 the previous year, he punched his mother in the face, and on August 12, he knocked her to the ground. On August 13, he spat at a police officer.

Ms Beck remarked that the mother has lived in considerable fear of him whenever he drinks alcohol.

The court heard that Whitmore had been held on remand since the middle of August.

Bethan Chichester, for the defence, explained that he is an exceptionally vulnerable and struggling young man. His bond with his mother is complex. There exists both affection and resentment between them.

Arguments between them arise regularly. He has substantial learning difficulties.

He is committed to transforming his circumstances. He has been putting in genuine effort while in custody. He has completed programmes for alcohol addiction.

He aims to be in a stronger position when he is released. He desires to improve. He wishes to demonstrate to the court his capacity for change.

He needs assistance rather than further incarceration.

Judge Hassan Khan noted that this was a regrettable circumstance.

The judge observed that the mother had suffered mistreatment for eight years.

He had struck her in the face, causing her nose to bleed. He had shoved her forcefully from behind, sending her falling onto the road surface.

He had derided her and walked away. She exists in constant apprehension of him. She worries that one day he might end her life.

There had been a prolonged history of abusive behaviour directed at his mother. He suffers from complex post traumatic stress disorder.

He had experienced periods of serious mental health crisis. His behaviour escalates rapidly when he consumes alcohol.

Reform cannot be accomplished in this setting.

Whitmore received a 27-month prison term along with a six-month restraining order forbidding any contact with his mother.