Jailed: Father and son in terrifying knife and hammer attack on man in his own home
A father and son who carried out a terrifying hammer and knife attack on a man in his own home have been locked up for more than 11 years between them.
The pair, who cannot be named for legal reasons, struck after a binge drinking session after the 16-year-old boy was taken into care, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.
They were known by the victim and his wife who let them in when they called at their address in the Birchills area of Walsall after midnight on December 14, explained Mr Simon Rippon, prosecuting.
The man of the house went downstairs to talk to the two visitors and was immediately set upon in a seemingly unprovoked attack, the court heard.
He was hit three times over the head with the hammer by the 40-year-old father and stabbed three times by the boy before the victim's wife rushed to the rescue after hearing screams, continued Mr Rippon.
The injured man later told police: "When they turned to look at her it gave me a chance to get away and I ran out of the back door . Then they ran away. It was all over in five minutes."
His wife recalled after the December 14 incident: "When I got to the bottom of the stairs I saw my husband being hit over the head with a hammer. He was curled up in a ball trying to protect himself with a knife sticking in his back. I shouted at them to stop and they turned to face me. I feared for my own life."
Her husband was taken to Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital where he was treated for head injuries and stab wounds to his back, side and thigh.
Miss Wendy Miller, defending, said the teenager had been taken into care a month before the incident as a result of perceived failures in the way his father was looking after him. The boy was staying on sofas and mixing with the wrong crowd, the court heard.
Miss Miller continued: "He had no real role model, had lost all contact with his siblings and went back to see his father. They started drinking together and committed this offence."
The father and son both admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent. The former was jailed for eight years while the 16-year-old was ordered to be detained for three years four months.
Judge Andrew Lockhart QC said: "This man was attacked in his own home at the dead of night. His wife was no doubt utterly terrified to see him being hit with a hammer and stabbed. The father was in the leading role but the son had the knife."
