A CHARD man who threatened his elderly father by raising a whiskey bottle above his head during a drunken tirade of abuse at his home in the middle of the night got his wish granted by magistrates to go back behind bars.

Michael Straw was on licence from prison when he visited his 79-year-old frail father earlier that day asking for money and returned at midnight while drunk banging on his front door to be let in.

He began shouting incoherently and told his father to phone the police saying he had smashed up his flat and then picked up a chair and started waving it around.

After raising a whiskey bottle above his head the victim called 999 and Straw could be heard in the background shouting and swearing.

The 53-year-old, of East Street, pleaded guilty to assaulting George Straw at Chard on November 11.

The court heard that the probation service was recalling him to prison for 14 days after committing the offence while on licence.

His solicitor Ryan Seneviratne said that Straw was asking the magistrates not to consider any other sentence other than immediate custody.

Prosecutor Julyan Stephens said that the defendant’s elderly father was not in good health and suffered from COPD and emphysema and was at home when his son arrived asking if he could have some money for food.

“He gave Straw £20 and he then left but just after midnight the complainant was in bed when he was woken by banging on his door and it was the defendant shouting to get in,” he said.

“He reluctantly let Straw inside who was drunk and was shouting to phone the police as his flat was smashed up and the victim felt threatened and stood behind the sofa.

“Straw picked up a chair and waved it around and then picked up a bottle of whiskey and approached his father and held it above his head causing him to fear he was going to be hit, however he was not.”

When the police arrived they found the defendant on the floor drinking from the bottle of whiskey and he was arrested.

His father later made a statement to the police saying: “I fear one day that he will go too far as when he is drunk he does not know what he is doing.”

Mr Seneviratne said that his client accepted going to his father’s house but did not remember a great deal beyond that.

“He has mental health difficulties and is not medicated but selfmedicates by drinking to excess,” he said.

“If his father says that he threatened him with the bottle then he accepts that.

“He would like me not to argue in respect of any other sentence other than prison after he was only released from a 20 week prison sentence on October 12 and the probation service is now preparing to recall him on his licence for 14 days for committing this offence.”

Magistrates sentenced him to seven weeks in custody and also ordered him to pay a £150 court charge and £80 victim surcharge on his release.

They also made a four year restraining order during which time Straw must not contact his father directly or indirectly and must not go to his home address in Chard.