A 31-year old drunken man who threatened to stab his mother through the heart with a kitchen knife when he walked into her bedroom at 4am has been jailed for a year after pleading guilty to wounding.

Judge Rhys Rowlands said at Caernarfon crown court on Tuesday that such had been the reliance of Thomas Boardman on drink and drugs in the past that he'd claimed to have borrowed £15,000 from payday loan companies to pay.

He'd started taking cannabis when he was 15 and later also took other illicit drugs.

His mother Amanda sustained minor cuts to two fingers as she protected herself from what Judge Rhys Rowlands described as "a fearsome weapon."

However Mrs Boardman, 53, had not made a complaint about the attack at her home in Gordon Avenue, Rhos-on-Sea, and she and other family members wrote letters to the judge.

"There is no complaint from her, she has forgiven him," said Judge Rowlands.

"You come from a very close family who are standing by you."

He added: "This was drunken violence which took place at night and involved you arming yourself with a knife you took to the house."

Ryan Rothwell, prosecuting, said it happened on August 10 and police had visited his mother's home after he had broken front door panes to get inside.

He was smoking and drinking a bottle of lager in the conservatory but his mother had not complained because of her concern about his mental health.

It was agreed he would stay the night at an aunt's but at 4am he'd returned and went to his mother's bedroom, showing a clenched fist and punching her three times.

"I've come to stab you through the heart," he threatened.

It seemed that he was angry that police had been called earlier. As he tried to stab his mother she protected herself, injuring two fingers, and the incident ended.

Matthew Curtis, defending, said Boardman had been candid about his previous life and had already taken steps to rehabilitate himself.

He suggested a suspended prison term and an alcohol rehabilitation order as part of an accredited programme.

Judge Rowlands told Boardman he recognised he was contrite and motivated to address his problem drinking.

But he'd returned to his mother's with the knife "in a drunken temper" after she had cancelled her bank card after finding it was missing. "There was the potential for very, very serious harm," he declared.