Son jailed after attack on mum - she hit him with colander

A man has been jailed for seven months after assaulting his mother for the third time and then breaching a bail condition not to contact her.

James McAlinden (46), St Francis Gardens, Inverness, called round to his mother's home in Alness on November 1, Tain Sheriff Court heard on Monday.

Procurator fiscal Roderick Urquhart said: “The accused turned up about 5pm and came into the house shouting. His mother tried to ignore him. He sat down but then got up and proceeded to assault her, seizing her neck. She freed herself by hitting him with a colander.”

McAlinden appeared at court three days after the incident and was granted bail on condition he did not enter Alness nor attempt to approach his mother.

But on February 25 McAlinden breached his bail conditions by turning up at his mother’s home in a taxi.

Mr Urquhart said: “He asked his mother for money for the taxi. She went out and paid the taxi driver. The accused then locked her out of her own house. He left the house shortly after that but was arrested nearby.”

McAlinden admitted both the assault and the breach of bail.

At Monday’s court, defence agent Rory Gowans said that his client had problems with alcohol misuse. On the day he had attacked his mother, he had fallen off the wagon after six days sobriety. He was waiting for a place at Beechwood House, Inverness, which offers a residential substance misuse service.

Passing sentence Sheriff Gordon Fleetwood noted it was the third time McAlinden had attacked his mother. He backdated the jail sentence to the date McAlinden was taken into custody.