Lorenzo Carbone admitted to strangling his mother to death after being found outside his house in Spezzano di Fiorano, in the northern Italian province of Modena, by a journalist.

The man broke down as he confessed his crime while being interviewed on live TV by journalist Fabio Giuffrida, who reports for Italian TV programme Pomeriggio 5.

Police were then called and Carbone was arrested and taken into custody.

His mother, Loretta Levrini, 80, had been found dead in her bed by her daughter on Sunday afternoon.

According to local media, Carbone was in tears during the interview.

"I couldn't stand it any longer, I couldn't manage her," he was reported saying.

"I don't know why I did it."

Carbone said he used some lace to carry out the killing, after trying different methods.

Carbone immediately became a suspect and a search, which involved firefighters and the use of drones, was launched in a bid to find him.

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He turned up at his home 24 hours later, in what, according to the journalist, appeared to show a willingness to surrender, La Repubblica reports.

Mr Giuffrida described the moment he saw Carbone approaching his own home and said: "Never would I have thought I would find myself in front of an alleged killer.

"At one point I noticed a man who was nearing the entrance, he was sweating, he was in a state of confusion."

The journalist asked him who he was, to which Carbone replied: "It's me".

Carbone's mother is due for a post-mortem examination in the next few days.