In a case one Ballarat magistrate said 'beggars belief', a man who punched his mother in the forehead because she didn't have cigarettes for him has received a jail term.
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The 21-year old man, who The Courier cannot name as it would reveal the identity of his victim, appeared in the Ballarat Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful assault, driving whilst disqualified, displaying fake licence plates and driving an unregistered vehicle.
Senior police lawyer Jenna Bridges told the court on March 6 this year, the man attended his mother's Haddon home at 4pm, and was let inside on the provision he was not using drugs.
The pair argued over the 21-year-old man wanting cigarettes. He left the house and went to the woolshed on the property, before returning a short time later.
When his mother went out to the woolshed, she located a bong for smoking cannabis.
When the victim confronted her son about the cannabis, the accused "became aggressive and assaulted the victim by punching her to the forehead", according to Ms Bridges.
"The punch caused the victim to become dizzy and made her ears ring," the prosecutor said.
The 21-year-old blocked his mother's path when she tried to leave the house, only allowing her to exit when she promised to go buy him cigarettes. The victim walked to the driveway to call her daughter for help, but 15 minutes later the man confronted her outside, pushing the victim to the ground and kicking her leg.
"The accused then stood over the victim and threatened to kick her head in," Ms Bridges said.
The woman suffered soreness following the assault.
The man's defence lawyer David Tamanika called the actions "tragic", but said his client had "behavioural issues which align themselves to drug use".
He said the man had a referral to a youth mental health facility, but he was arrested and remanded on these matters before he could commence treatment.
"He wants to recommit to treatment and employment like a young man should," Mr Tamanika said.
Magistrate Daniel Muling said while the man still had his mother's support, it was clear that "drugs are a poison" as far as the man was concerned.
"You only have one Mum, and it beggars belief you would lose control to this extent and treat her this way," he said.
"You have got the whole of the rest of your life ahead of you ... get it sorted now before it is lost."
The man was sentenced to 42 days in jail, with a $750 fine and a disqualification period on his licence of nine months.