CHRISTINE CUNNINGHAM A man was yesterday ordered by a judge to stay away for 10 years from his adoptive mother whose life he made a living hell by attacking her and demanding cash to feed his drug habit.

CHRISTINE CUNNINGHAM

A man was yesterday ordered by a judge to stay away for 10 years from his adoptive mother whose life he made a living hell by attacking her and demanding cash to feed his drug habit.

Alan Julier, 38, made demands on Patricia Julier for nearly a decade, subjecting her to threats and verbal abuse and demanding she hand over money, Norwich Crown Court heard.

He also assaulted her by pulling her hair and hitting her with a rolled up newspaper as well as damaging her car and throwing a glass of milk over her, the court was told.

The situation had become so bad that Mrs Julier got herself into debt because of his demands and though she still had feelings for him she did not want any contact with him in the near future, said Lori Tucker, prosecuting.

She said that since Julier had been remanded in prison his mother had felt a sense of relief. She felt "as if a great weight has been lifted from her shoulders and she is now able to manage her life and is getting herself back on track".

Julier, of Berry Close, Belton, admitted harassing his mother between January 1998 and October 2007.

He was jailed for 12 months and made subject to a 10-year restraining order under which he must not make any contact with Mrs Julier unless she writes beforehand expressing a wish to see him.

Judge Simon Barham told him: "The victim was your mother. You are 38 and she is clearly not a young woman. You demanded and received money from her, backed up by threats of violence, and subjected her to violence and verbal abuse."

He added: "For a nine-year period you made your mother's life a living hell. She had to give in to your demands and give you cash."

He said she was now in debt and added: "You acted in a manipulative and predatory fashion."

Stephen Spence, mitigating, said that drugs lay behind Julier's offending, adding: "The only person really at risk from him is his mother. He accepts he behaved appallingly."

He said Julier was the adopted son of Mrs Julier, and his mother had willingly provided for him and cared for him. However, his drug problem lay behind his need to obtain cash.