A man who threatened to kill his mother has been jailed for seven months.

Nathan Mills, 23, of New Hythe, London Road, Stanway, admitted making his mum Susan fear for her life and stealing from her.

Gary Sparrow, prosecuting, told Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court Mills had gone to stay with his mum on Thursday after going out drinking.

The next morning she found out he had taken her bank card and withdrawn £250 in Brentwood.

Later that day he called his mum and she told him she had called the police.

Mr Sparrow said: “The defendant became aggressive and said, ‘I am going to come there and kill you’. She believed the threat.”

Essex Police then received a 999 call from Mills saying he was going to Dagenham armed with a machete to stab a girl.

The call was tracked to Colchester and the firearms squad was called.

Officers found Mills in London Road armed with a hammer at 7pm. Mills yesterday admitted two counts of theft and one of making threats to kill.

Lee Bridges, mitigating, said: “He had no intention of carrying out the threats and bitterly regrets what he did.”

The court heard Mills had a long criminal record but had gone almost two years without committing a crime.

When he is released from prison he will be banned from having any contact with his mother until further notice.