Cork man told gardaí 'I wanted to clear my head' after hitting his sleeping mother with saucepan

The mother had told the court that her son was hearing voices in his head which were telling him to do things

The judge imposed a sentence of two-and-a-half years with the last one year suspended on the basis that the man would follow the directions of the probation service on his release from prison and engage with mental health services. File picture

A sleeping woman was attacked by her own son who struck her violently across the face with a saucepan – later telling gardaí: “I wanted to clear my head”, and now he has been jailed for 18 months.

Judge Sinead Behan said in light of the circumstances of the incident: “It is staggering to think that the GP in prison and the forensic psychiatrist are indicating he does not have a mental issue.”