A TRANENT man has been told that his aggressive behaviour towards his own mother was “a shocking way to behave” by a sheriff.

Liam Donaldson told his mum Catherine he would “batter her” and “murder her” when the pair clashed at the woman’s home earlier this year.

Donaldson, of Muirpark Wynd, turned up at his mother’s home in the town and let himself into the property, where Mrs Donaldson eventually found him in his bedroom after she had returned from work.

She confronted Donaldson about his drug-taking the previous evening and he soon became aggressive and began shouting and swearing at his mother.

The woman was forced to leave the property “in fear” and she was called “a b****” by 23-year-old Donaldson, who had followed her outside.

A neighbour overheard the row and found Mrs Donaldson crying following the incident at the town’s Baxter’s Gate.

She returned to her home but Donaldson continued his aggressive behaviour by knocking on her window and shouting and swearing at her. Fiscal depute Fiona Nairn told Edinburgh Sheriff Court that Donaldson then made the remarks including the murder threat.

During last Thursday’s court hearing, defence solicitor Mary Moultrie said her client suffered from “depression and anxiety” and was currently under a non-harassment order and a supervision order resulting from a previous incident.

Ms Moultrie added that Donaldson had “little recollection” of the events that evening and “drink or drugs had been involved”.

Sheriff Alison Stirling told Donaldson: “This is a shocking way to behave towards your mother.”

Sheriff Stirling deferred sentence to February for Donaldson to be of good behaviour and for a progress report to be prepared.

Donaldson admitted to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing, acting aggressively, kicking a door and uttering threats of violence towards Catherine Donaldson at Baxter’s Gate, Tranent, on October 1.