John Meney battered mother Karen at the home they shared in Johnstone earlier this year.

Meney denied assaulting his mum, claiming he had hit her in self-defence, and went on trial over the attack at Paisley Sheriff Court.

But after she told the court she was left “in complete shock” at the “unbelievable” assault which left her covered in blood, a sheriff convicted John of assaulting Karen to her injury by leaving her with a bruised back, red face and burst nose.

John punched, kicked and headbutted his mother, pulled her by the hair and threw her into furniture.

The 19-year-old lashed out on Saturday, April 11 this year, while speaking to his mum a couple of days after she’d argued with his girlfriend.

Coward Meney, who had only been wearing boxers at the time of the attack, got dressed and ran from the house.

But he returned a short time later, begging his mum to phone the police and telling her to headbutt him to make up for his attack.

Sentence on Meney was deferred so he could be assessed by social workers and he returned to the dock this week to learn his fate.

After hearing that Meney had moved to Oban, got himself a job and was due to become a father in October, Sheriff Seith Ireland spared him jail.

As he placed him on a Community Payback Order (CPO) requiring him to be supervised for the next 12 months and carry out 150 hours’ unpaid work, he said: “It was a quite nasty incident “You saw your mum’s attitude to what happened - it was quite disgusting behaviour towards your mother.” Meney, who now lives in Soroba Road, Oban, will begin the CPO when the one he is currently on for earlier offences comes to an end.