A son headbutted his 77-year-old mother, leaving her face bleeding and swollen, in a row over a kettle of boiling water.
After his mum was taken to hospital with a suspected broken nose, unemployed Kevin Nicol told police, “She had been asking for it for b****y years”.
Nicol, 44, had been living with his parents at their home on Carden Castle Avenue, Cardenden, at the time of the incident.
At Dunfermline Sheriff Court, Nicol, pictured, now living on Salisbury Street, Kirkcaldy, admitted assaulting his mother, Gemima Nicol, in her home on June 19 by headbutting her on the face to her injury.
Depute fiscal Azrah Yousaf said: “His parents were preparing lunch. The accused took water from a kettle and made himself coffee then poured the rest of the water down the sink. His mother had been waiting for the water.”
When his mum asked why he had poured the boiling water away, Nicol became angry.
“He lunged forward and headbutted her on the face. She was standing with her nose dripping with blood,” the depute fiscal added.
Nicol’s father called the police and Mrs Nicol was taken to hospital.
Defence solicitor Selina Mackay said Nicol was living in a property owned by his mother and she has been sending him food parcels.
She said Nicol had worked as a civil engineering technician before being been made redundant.
He suffered from health problems and was diagnosed with cancer in 2008.
He will be sentenced on September 30.