A man who pushed his mother over during a row after he had been drinking and taking drugs has been jailed for two years.

Shirley Catling suffered a gash to her head measuring 2cm by 2cm after 38-year-old Mark Baker pushed her “hard” across the room at his 84-year-old grandmother’s house in Holbrook, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Robert Sadd, prosecuting said Baker was upset that his dealer had not been allowed to deliver drugs to the house and after assaulting his mother he had damaged property in the house including a table, a television cabinet and a wall belonging to Barbara Curtis.

Baker, of Ipswich Road, Holbrook, admitted assaulting Shirley Catling causing her actual bodily harm on April 4, criminal damage, producing two cannabis plants and living at Council Cottages in Holbrook in breach of a restraining order which restricted his contact with his grandmother and visits to her home

Jailing him for two years Judge John Devaux told Baker he was prepared to use violence to control people including members of his family and to bully them into doing what he wanted.

Mr Sadd told the court that Baker had a long-term problem with substance abuse which had resulted in “poor” behaviour by him.

Despite a restraining order which only allowed him to visit his grandmother’s house between 10am and 7pm by prior arrangement with her Baker had moved into her home and was living there in April when the offences were committed.

Craig Marchant, for Baker, said his client had lived on and off with his grandmother for 13 years and had effectively been brought up by her.

At the time of the offences in April his mother, who lives in Nottingham, had been visiting Suffolk.

Baker had been agitated and pushed his mother when she approached him in a bid to calm him down.

“He pushed her far too hard and as a result she fell and struck her head. He didn’t intend to cause her harm,” said Mr Marchant.

He said that since Baker had been in custody he had apologised to his mother and grandmother for his behaviour and he was determined to stay away from alcohol and drugs in the future.