A man told his mother "I am the reaper" before smashing her head off a kitchen worktop during a violent attack.
Michael Devlin carried out the terrifying attack after his behaviour became increasingly bizarre and left his mother with a bloodied face. The 32-year-old then went on to attack police officers and spat at them during his arrest and left them scared of potential infection.
Devlin, of Reynolds Avenue, South Shields, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court last week to be sentenced for two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, damaging property, and assault of an emergency worker. He had pleaded guilty to the offences.
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The court heard Devlin had been allowed to stay at his mother's home after running out of money, but on April 23 this year, she returned to her address to find him in an intoxicated state and believed he had taken drugs. His behaviour then became increasingly erratic.
Neil Pallister, prosecuting, said Devlin began screaming "who is taking the p*** out of you?" as he staggered about drinking a bottle of vodka. He said: "He asked his mum to have a drink with him and kept saying 'who is taking the p*** out of you, if someone takes the p*** out of my mum I'll rip their throat out and eat it'."
Devlin then became aggressive to a neighbour who had accompanied his mother home, and his mum then went into the kitchen before he followed her and demanded she read an NHS letter out aloud. As she read it, Devlin was getting "more angry", the court heard.
Mr Pallister continued: "She said she was not going to read anymore and the defendant reached in to a drawer and got a kitchen knife with an eight-inch blade and said 'this is how you stab someone without getting blood on you'. He then stabbed the kitchen wall, taking chunks of plaster out."
Devlin then put the knife down but soon began throwing kitchen dishes about before he "grabbed" hold of his mother. Mr Pallister said: "He grabbed her around the neck...he then smashed her face on the worktop, causing her immense pain and split her bottom lip. She could hear him grinding his teeth, shouting 'I'm the reaper!' There was blood dripping down her face."
Terrified, the woman managed to signal to her neighbour outside to call the police, before Devlin ran outside and was locked out. He began kicking the door shouting "the reaper's going to kill you". When the police arrived Devlin punched one female officer in the head and grabbed her head and forced it downwards. He was also heard shouting, "I'll bite your nose off, I want to kill you".
Devlin continued to lash out during the arrest and spat at an officer, with another being kicked in the legs. A spit hood was eventually put on Devlin and he was finally restrained and arrested.
The court heard he had seven previous convictions for 17 offences, including for previous violent offending.
Jonathan Pigford, defending, said Devlin was "particularly upset at the consequences of his actions as his mother no longer wants anything to do with him". He said Devlin had a difficult childhood and took drugs to "block out the past".
He added: "He hadn't slept for four days leading up to the incident and could only relax by drinking alcohol. It was an impulsive act and a short lived incident, despite how unpleasant it is. He has been ostracised by the wider family."
Devlin was jailed for three years and a five year restraining order was imposed - banning him from contacting his mother.
