A SON who almost killed his elderly mother during a brutal three hour drink-fuelled assault has been jailed.

Martin Stokes left his mother Shirley Stokes, 78, with injuries more akin to those seen “on a butcher’s slab than a human being”, said a judge.

Stokes, who was originally charged with attempted murder, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent at Chelmsford Crown Court.

The court heard over three hours, Stokes punched his mother’s head numerous times, held her in a headlock and continued punching her.

He headbutted her and squeezed her neck.

He also pulled out clumps of her hair and kicked her in the stomach while she was on the floor.

Walls and surfaces in her home were left blood splattered.

Judge Anthony Goldstaub QC jailed former security worker Stokes – who sobbed throughout in the dock – for eight years.

He said: “Mrs Stokes believed she had come to the end of her days and that you were going to kill her. You violently punched her, tried to strangle her, kicked her with shod feet and bit her.

You repeatedly said ‘I hate you, I want you dead’ and ‘I’m going to kill you’.”

The judge commented on Mrs Stokes’ forgiveness.

He said: “She appears to have shown a huge reservoir of forgiveness and generosity of spirit in that she’s prepared to communicate with you. I can imagine the psychological scars are horrendous.”

Judge Goldstaub said Stokes, 50, of Vista Road, Clacton, had subjected his mother to a frightening experience with his “vicious temper and drunken behaviour”.

He added: “You were a far stronger person than your mother.

You breached that trust between a mother and son.”

A psychiatric report concluded Stokes had a personality disorder and anger management issues, but didn’t require hospital treatment.

Nneka Akudolu, prosecuting, said Stokes made one of his regular visits to his mother at her home in Colchester Road, St Osyth, the night before.

He was agitated as soon as he woke up and told her he wanted to be dead.

He drank all day and passed out and she visited the police station.

At 10pm that evening, while she watched TV soap Emmerdale, “her son lost it”.

Miss Akudolu said: “He said to her ‘I am going to kill you. I want you dead.’ He grabbed her and she said ‘Please stop, you will go away’, meaning to prison.

“He said ‘I don't care. It will be worth it for you’.”

Over the next three hours, he hit her until she managed to escape and seek help from a neighbour.

Peter Barlex, mitigating, said Stokes was remorseful and deeply ashamed.

He had little recollection of that day because of how much alcohol he had drunk.

Mr Barlex said although Mrs Stokes had gone through such an awful experience she had sought to put it behind her in order to have an on-going relationship with her son.

She had sent him 50 letters while he has been on remand, spoken to him twice by phone and seen him twice during court hearings, he added.