A MAN assaulted his 93-year-old mother by putting his hands around her neck and pushing her, a court heard today.

Carlton Hedley Llewelyn Browning, 57, of Hillside Avenue, Blaenavon, admitted the offence during a trial at Cardiff Crown Court.

Browning had originally been charged with attempted murder and assault causing actual bodily harm, which he denied, and the case went to trial.

He was accused of attempting to strangle Mary Browning, 93, pushing her on her bed and trying to smother her with a pillow.

But after hearing evidence from Mrs Browning via video link from the care home where she lives, Judge Alistair MacDuff directed the jury to find the defendant not guilty of both charges, as the evidence she gave did not match her original police statement.

A new charge of battery was put to the defendant and he pleaded guilty.

Peter Davies, prosecuting, had told the court that in the early hours of Monday, August 6, Browning entered his mother's bedroom in the flat they share, where she was sitting on her bed.

He put his hands around her throat, Mr Davies said, causing visible reddening.

Mrs Browning shouted and the downstairs neighbours, Donna Williams and her partner Barry Thomas, were woken up.

Ms Williams, whose bedroom is directly beneath Mrs Browning's, came upstairs into the flat and asked Browning to leave the room.

After leaving the bedroom, the defendant telephoned Careline and told the operator he had found his mother, who has respiratory problems, in need of medical attention and they had argued because she did not want to call an ambulance. She was not wearing her hearing aids and their voices were raised, he said.

In her evidence, Mrs Browning said her son had pushed her to make her get into bed and she had spent two days in Nevill Hall Hospital as a result of the incident.

She said her son was her primary carer and had changed into a "completely different person" during the assault.

Judge MacDuff sentenced Browning to five months' imprisonment, of which he has already served 88 days while in custody awaiting trial.

He was released immediately and will spend the rest of the period on licence.