Barrow dad held knife to son's throat asking 'do you want to die?'

Prosecutor Peter Kelly said the man, in his 30s, who cannot be named for legal reasons, entered his son’s bedroom with a Stanley knife.

Mr Kelly told South Cumbria Magistrates’ Court the defendant then put the knife to his son’s throat before asking him: ‘Do you want to die?’

The court was told the defendant cut the victim’s chin, which was treated by using petroleum jelly.

At South Cumbria Magistrates’ Court, the defendant pleaded guilty to assault on a person occasioning them actual bodily harm.

Mr Kelly said the defendant told his son’s school that he would not be able to attend for two days due to him having a sore throat.

He also told his son that he would 'batter him' if he ever told anyone about the incident, the court heard.

In the child’s victim impact statement, he said his father had never done anything like this before and that he had only ever shouted at him for ‘small things’.

The child also said the incident had left him worried about being with his father and that he was scared he would now do something else.

Mr Kelly said matters were only reported to the police when the victim disclosed what had happened to his mother.

In a police interview, the defendant said they were both ‘messing around’.

The defendant told officers: “We were both laughing and joking when we were in his bedroom. I would not have done it intentionally.”

The court heard the defendant admitted to police that his actions were ‘daft and stupid’.

He will be sentenced next month on the basis that the victim could not be sure whether the incident was intentional or not.

Mr Kelly said it was also not possible to know whether the child would be left with a permanent scar.

Magistrates had insufficient sentencing powers to deal with the case so ordered for a pre-sentence report to be completed before his sentencing at Preston Crown Court on May 15.