A thug who threatened his long-suffering mother with a knife and later tried to glass a police officer called to their home has been jailed for four and a half years.

A judge described Hartrilochan Badyal’s treatment of his 62-year-old mother over a two-year period as “a tyranny of fear”.

His lawyer said it was a “cocktail of mental health and voluntary intoxication” that led to him acting in that way.

The 35-year-old alcoholic admitted controlling and coercive behaviour, attempting to wound PC John McCarten with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and four assault offences.

Maidstone Crown Court Badyal's mother was expecting relatives from America at their home in Cooling Road, Strood, on November 12 last year when her son became aggressive.

He went out and returned drunk. He demanded that his mother make him some food. At one point he held a fork to her throat and asked her: “Who are you to tell me what to do?”

He fell asleep on the stairs and then started shouting abuse. His mother awoke the next morning to more abuse from her son.

Prosecutor Trevor Wright said Badyal demanded £1,000 from his mother so that he could fly to India to buy camping equipment.

After the relatives arrived, he fetched a knife from the kitchen and declared: “I am going to kill everyone.” He put the weapon behind him and sat on the sofa. His mother called the police.

“He started talking in a spiritual language,” said Mr Wright. “He threw the knife on the floor.”

PC McCarten arrived with PC Jon Collard. Badyal became increasingly irrational, demanding water and shouting when it was not given to him quickly.

He offered his share of the £240,000 house to PC McCarten for £1,000. PC Collard was about to arrest him when he smashed the glass he was holding on a table and lunged at PC McCarten.

The officer stumbled back to avoid injury. PC Collard used his PAVA spray on Badyal and they both fell to the floor. Despite being handcuffed, he pushed PC Collard against a shelf, causing a cut behind his left ear.

When later interviewed, Badyal said he had been drunk and angry.

Craig Evans, defending, said the unemployed factory worker had kept out of trouble for more than 30 years. He was drinking heavily and out of control.

He had self-harmed when younger and turned to illicit drugs to take away the pain. He then drank heavily instead.

Recorder David Jeremy QC said Badyal’s treatment of his mother demonstrated the depths to which he had sunk and amounted to “a tyranny of fear” he imposed on her.

“Your mother finally called the police,” he said. “When they arrived she told them about the fear she lived in and about the aggression you used to enforce control, usually when drunk.

“When the police attended you were volatile and aggressive to them. It was pure chance you did not inflict any injury on PC McCarten.

“There was a bizarre edge to your behaviour. There is a mental health background. You chose to consume alcohol knowing how it made you behave.”