A THUG has avoided jail after brutally attacking his vulnerable father in his own home.

Alexander Elliott, 44, of Burnt Mills Road, Basildon, left his father bloodied and swollen before fleeing the scene of the assault and making threats to do the same to his father’s friend.

The court heard Elliott turned up at the home of his 82-year-old father in Basildon, two weeks prior to the assault and asked if he could stay for two days until he found an alternative place to live.

Prosecutor Charlotte Davison said: “His father had said he didn’t want him to stay because of previous issues but eventually he gave in because he felt sorry for him and felt obliged.

“Two days passed and the defendant never left and even started unloading his belongings from his car despite being told not to.

“The victim claimed he treated his home like a hotel – coming and going as he pleased, eating food and not paying any money.”

The court heard the victim was unhappy with the way Elliott had spoken to a friend of his two days prior to the assault and it was this issue which led to the attack taking place.

Ms Davison added: “On May 26, the victim brought up the previous incident with his son. The victim explained that he told the defendant he should not be speaking to his friends like that.

“At this point, the defendant blew up and got really angry and started shouting ‘I’m a man and I’m going to show you’ and then he began punching the victim with clenched fists.”

Elliott punched his father hard approximately ten times and Ms Davison told the court he was unable to defend himself because he had a hospital boot on due to an unrelated injury.

The incident unfolded in front of Elliott’s sister who broke up the attack at which point Elliott left the scene. He continued to send threatening messages to his sister.

After handing himself in at the police station, he was charged with assault causing actual bodily harm and admitted the offence at a trial preparation hearing.

In a victim impact statement summarised to the court, the victim said the incident left him feeling completely shocked and scared of his son saying ‘I never thought he would do this to me. I am a man in my 80s and I cannot defend myself against my son’.

The victim was left with swelling and bruising to his head and a bust lip.

Mitigating, barrister Chris Whitcombe described the incident as “entirely out of character” for his client who has no previous convictions and is of previous good character.

Sentencing him at Basildon Crown Court, judge John Lodge said: “This was a sustained assault on someone who is particularly vulnerable because of his age and a previous injury.”

Elliott was given a nine-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months in which time he must complete 100 hours of unpaid work and 40 days of a rehabilitation activity.

Judge Lodge added: “I am suspending this sentence because you are of previous good character and this was an isolated incident.”