A 23-year-old man tried to suffocate his mum and threatened to cut her throat when he came home and realised he’d lost his keys on a night out.
Christopher Delaney, from Bury, attacked his mum Collette, 50, after she let him into their flat in Heywood, Greater Manchester, on August 1 at 8am.
He had been out drinking all night after splitting up with his girlfriend.
When Mrs Delaney let him in her son suddenly lost his temper and launched a drunken and frenzied attack on her.
He demanded she give him access to her medication saying ‘go and get me the tablets or I’ll slit your throat’.
When she refused he held a pillow over her head and she eventually agreed to give him the pills.
She was saved from the attack when a neighbour called the 999 after becoming aware of the altercation.
Mrs Delaney suffered a number of injuries, including bruises to her face and hair loss.
Prosecuting, Juliet Berry said told Minshull Street Crown Court: ‘Collette was on the floor and he kicked her to the face and stood on the side of her head.
‘He then held a pillow over her face and she was struggling to breathe, at that point she feared she was going to die.’
He has three previous convictions including offences of battery against his mother’s boyfriend and also an assault on an ex-girlfriend.
Mrs Delaney said she wants nothing more to do with him and she wants her son to get professional help.
Judge Maurice Green told Delaney: ‘You have been having problems with depression and have a difficult background but you do have previous convictions for violence, including ones against a former girlfriend.
‘You seem to have a problem controlling your anger around women which is of great concern.
‘If this continues you are going to spend a long time in custody. You were in good employment as a construction foreman and there does seem to be a benefit of rehabilitation in your case.’