A man who forced his elderly mother to fund his drug habit has been sentenced.

Bernard Murray, 52, would threaten and attack his mother when she refused to give him money for his addiction.

In one incident, after his mother refused to give Murray £20 she was left with a swollen eye when he launched a TV remote at her face.

In another case Murray threw a walking frame at her narrowly missing her.

The alarm was only raised when the victim fell behind on her payments to her sheltered housing accommodation in Barnet – leaving her £4,000 in debt.

Today at Harrow Crown Court Murray was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment suspended for two years for engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour in a family relationship, common assault and assault by beating between September 2018 and December 2018.

He was also ordered to attend a drug rehabilitation requirement programme for six months.

Murray had pleaded guilty at an earlier court hearing.

Dipan Varsani, from the CPS, said: “This victim endured months of emotional abuse at the hands of her own son. She was left frightened and intimidated whenever he showed up on her doorstep asking for money.

“His addiction to drugs was such that Murray was prepared take what little money his mother had for his own personal gain, while continuing to ask for more, leaving her struggling to make ends meet.

“I hope today’s sentence provides some comfort to the victim and shows the CPS’s commitment to prosecuting cases of abuse including those involving families.”

A restraining order was also granted to the victim stopping Murray from contacting her or attending any British Legion premises in the UK.