Jail for man who killed his own father

Jul 5 2012 by Andy Newport, Paisley Daily Express

A VICIOUS thug who used two broken bottles to kill his own dad during a frenzied attack at a house in Paisley was yesterday jailed for more than seven years.

The High Court in Glasgow heard that William Cameron struck his 51-year-old father Alexander a total of 19 times after they got involved in a drunken argument.

Cameron, 27, lashed out after complaining about the way his dad had treated his mother during their relationship.

Originally, Cameron was charged with murder but, yesterday, he admitted the culpable homicide of his father at a house in Tannahill Road, Ferguslie Park, on August 3, last year.

Prosecutor Jonathan Brodie QC said that the victim had suffered poor health, had a heart condition and walked with the aid of a stick.

He added: “The father and son had been drinking and an argument developed. The accused hit his father with a bottle, which then broke.”

The court heard that Cameron then smashed broken glass into his father’s head and neck repeatedly.

He left his dead dad lying covered in blood in the living room of the house, with shards of glass around him.

Mr Brodie said that Cameron later changed out of his bloodstained clothes and went to visit a friend, who was told: “I think I have just killed my father.”

When quizzed by police, Cameron claimed that his dad was still alive when he last saw him.

Mr Brodie said: “The primary cause of death was Mr Cameron’s heart disease. His heart condition was such that he could have died at any time – while walking in the street or even lying in bed.”

Defence QC Ian Duguid told the court that Cameron had witnessed violence in his family home as a child.

He added: “His father was jailed for an assault on his mother when he was just eight or 10.

“He realises what a devastating thing he has done.”

The court was told that Cameron’s mum and dad had been estranged for many years.

Sentencing Cameron to seven years and one month behind bars, temporary judge Sean Murphy QC told him: “You carried out a savage attack on your own father. It is clear you inflicted no fewer than 19 injuries to his head and neck with two broken bottles.

“There were some defensive injuries that showed your father tried to defend himself. The attack was a sustained one and triggered a fatal heart attack.”