A Hamilton Parish man on trial for assaulting his elderly mother and another family member yesterday changed his plea to guilty on four charges of assault.

He was charged with assaulting his mother, Grace Smith, and an elderly cousin Wilbur Outerbridge and yesterday he also admitted to assaulting another cousin who was living in the same house with his mother and Mr. Outerbridge at the time of the incidents.

Vincent Patrick Smith originally denied three counts of assault with his trial before Magistrate Archibald Warner proceeding on Wednesday.

Yesterday, when he changed his plea as the trial continued, a fourth charge of assaulting another cousin, Dudley Leon Smith, 56, was read.

The court heard from Mr. Smith that last year, while he was in the kitchen washing dishes, Smith walked into the kitchen shouting at him saying: "You put a lot of s**t in my car!"

Mr. Dudley Smith said he had never used Smith's car.

He said that Smith then pushed a pipe into his chest in an aggressive manner. Smith was then ordered by his mother to leave the house.

Smith admitted to doing this but explained that he felt as if Mr. Smith and Mr. Outerbridge were trying to take advantage of both him and his mother.

The court heard on Wednesday that Smith had dragged Mr. Outerbridge from his bed after hitting him in the head with an unknown object and demanded to know why he had not been paying him rent.

Mr. Outerbridge said he paid the rent to Smith's mother, Grace.

Mrs. Smith returned home to find the two men in the living room and Mr. Outerbridge injured.

She told the court she ran and called the Police and that when she returned Smith had approached her with a knife and threatened her.

Sentencing is adjourned to April 29 pending a social inquiry report and a psychiatric evaluation.

Smith has been remanded in custody until then.