A LLANGOLLEN man held a meat cleaver to his elderly mother’s throat, threatened to kill her and her cat and told her to leave her home as he was having prostitutes around.

Craig Owen waged a sustained campaign of terror on his 80-year-old mother, Molly Owen during which the pensioner suffered injuries to her legs, feet and head as a result of the defendant’s abusive behaviour.

She was deterred from calling the police as her drunken offspring, who was living at her home in Park Avenue, took her phone off her and disconnected the landline.

Eventually, the alarm was raised by a neighbour whom Owen told: “She’s doing my head in, I wish she would hurry up and die.”

Owen was jailed for three years at Mold Crown Court where Judge Niclas Parry told him: “Your mother trusted you to live with her as she was very vulnerable. But over some two-and-a-half months you tormented her and put her in fear of violence.”

Prosecuting barrister Sion Ap Mihangel said there were multiple incidents of abuse towards Mrs Owen, particularly during August this year.

Owen returned home after a heavy drinking session and stormed into his mother’s bedroom brandishing a meat cleaver. He held it to her throat and shouted: “I will cut your windpipe”.

His mother was so terrified she “wet herself”, but her heartless son sat at the end of her bed smoking cigarettes and smashed up one of her ornaments with the cleaver.

On another occasion he returned to the family home in a dark mood and told his mother to “f… off” before grabbing a hammer and hitting her with it. Mrs Owen suffered cuts to the leg.

His behaviour became more bizarre with him donning boxing gloves on another day when punched her bedroom door in before turning on her again and punching her to the head causing swelling.

Several days later he told his mother that she had to leave her property as he’d “arranged for prostitutes to attend to perform sex acts on him”.

While drinking from a crate of beer he told her he would kill her pet cat.

“She wet herself again as she was terrified and was unable to telephone the police. He told her “If you call the police you are dead”,” said Mr Ap Mihangel.

Owen was finally brought to book when a neighbour, Victoria Davies, called the police after Owen had locked his mother out of her home.

She was found with a cut on her leg, bruising to her fee and marks to her temple. Owen was standing outside the property bare-chested.

He gave a no comment interview to the police.

Owen, 48, formerly of Park Avenue, Llangollen, admitted putting a person in fear of violence by harassment between June 1 and August 15 this year.

Defence barrister James Coutts said the defendant, who has 13 previous convictions, was, himself, a vulnerable person with mental health issues.

“He has had a very difficult upbringing. His offences are linked to his use of alcohol,” said Mr Coutts.

“He is very ashamed of himself and he knows he needs to change.”

Judge Parry imposed a five-year restraining order on Owen to ensure he has no contact with his mother.