A man who attacked his mother and her partner has been spared jail after a judge heard how he could not cope with the strain of a long-running family dispute.
Philip Davies was spending much of his time back at his mother's home in Barnstaple and tension built up between him and her partner John Caldwell.
The stresses erupted into violence when he went into their bedroom, punched Mr Caldwell around the face repeatedly and threw his mother Heather aside so violently she passed out.
Davies, aged 35, of Fort Street, Barnstaple, admitted causing actual bodily harm to Mr Caldwell and common assault on his mother Heather Leworthy.
He was jailed for four months, suspended for a year and ordered to go on a probation-run Engage programme by Judge Francis Gilbert, QC, at Exeter Crown Court.
He told him: "The abh was a serious matter because you lost your temper and attacked your mother's boyfriend but I appreciate there were reasons why you felt there were difficulties in your relationship with him and your mother.
"You also attacked your mother, which was disgraceful. You should not attack ladies at all and certainly not your mother."
Janice Eagles, prosecuting, said Davies had spent some months living back at his mother's home, sometimes with some of his three children staying at weekends.
She said there had been some tension between him and Mr Caldwell and there had been an argument with his mother the night before the incident.
The attack happened in the morning when the couple were getting up and Davies returned to the house to collect an Xbox.
Miss Eagles said: "He went upstairs and burst into the bedroom and started to be abusive towards Mr Caldwell. He described the couple as pathetic.
"Mr Caldwell described being punched over and over again to the head. His partner says he was hit at least six times and sustained injuries from multiple punches.
"The incident left the couple scared and nervous. Davies's mother intervened during the assault and she was physically thrown and struck a wall. She believes she lost consciousness for a short time.
"She tried to call the police but the defendant took the phone from her and smashed it. When they rang back he answered the call on the landline downstairs and said the earlier call had been made by children messing around.
"We say it is an aggravating feature that he tried to prevent the victims from calling for help."
Davies then left the house and the police were called. Mr Caldwell needed hospital treatment for two black eyes and cuts to his nose and lips that needed gluing and butterfly stitches.
Nigel Wraith, defending, said Davies should be given credit for his early guilty plea. He asked the judge to take into consideration the contents of a probation report which recommended he go on the Engage programme to improve the way he handles stressful situations.
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