Judges in Spain have ruled that a 36-year-old man who insulted his mother's cooking and physically pushed her must move out of her home and find his own place to live.

José Luis Ortiz's 71-year-old mother grew so desperate about her abusive son's presence in her home, in the northern region of Cantabria, that she filed a suit against him.

Mr Ortiz admitted to regularly insulting his mother, Carmen, pulling her by the arm and threatening to beat her. He also conceded that he repeatedly called his mother's cooking “s***”. In his defence, Mr Ortiz said that his comments were a mere statement of fact; “an observation on the culinary ability” of his mother. He said that grabbing her arm and pulling her indoors was not an aggressive act, because she had shown no resistance.

He alleged that the entire lawsuit against him was spurious and motivated by nothing more than his mother's desire to see him move out. But the court ruled that such a wish would be entirely justified. “What the accused does not say is that his mother has literally had enough of having to put up with his insults, threats and swear words, his derogatory and hurtful gestures towards her,” the judges ruled.

A recent study found that nearly 60 per cent of Spanish people between the ages of 18 and 34 still live at home, saying they find it to be the most convenient option. More than a quarter were still living at home after the age of 30. The proportion of boys living at their parents' homes into their 30s was substantially higher than for girls.

In a country where home ownership is regarded as a right and house prices have rocketed in the past decade, many young people argue that they simply cannot afford to move out. The Government has offered young people subsidies to encourage them to rent, but with little success so far.

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