Father suffered bleed to the brain after Leeds son hit him repeatedly with bottle of wine during money feud

Brendan O’Toole, who had only be released from hospital to treat his bipolar disorder days before, attacked his elderly dad with the makeshift weapon at their home in Lawrence Road, Gipton, before grabbing him and punching him to the head over and over.

Left with a bleed to the brain, the elderly victim described his son as a “big lad” – standing at 6ft 2” and weighing 17 stone.

Leeds Crown Court heard the pair spent February 22 with each other looking to buy a new car, but later that day the mood turned sour when 54-year-old O’Toole asked his father to transfer the cash to his account, but he refused, telling him his bank would not allow a transfer of that size.

Prosecutor Carmel Pearson said that was the “trigger”, and O’Toole grabbed the bottle and struck the pensioner to the head three times until it smashed. The victim managed to stay on his feet but cuts on his head left him covered in blood.

He tried to get away into the kitchen but was followed by O’Toole who grabbed his top with one hand and repeatedly punched him with the other. The man then fled upstairs but again he was followed and punched.

O’Toole then took off in his father’s car after taking his bank cards with him and went to a supermarket where he used the cards to buy items. Meanwhile, the stricken father was able to raise the alarm by ringing a neighbour. He was taken to hospital and treated for the cuts and a subdural haemorrhage, a bleed to to his brain.

Held on remand at HMP Leeds, O’Toole admitted wounding with intent to cause GBH. He has five previous convictions for 12 offences, including wounding in 2011 for which he received a community order.

Mitigating, Rebecca Stevens said: “He accepts fully that alcohol is linked to his offending, it’s not mitigation but it’s the truth of the matter. He is desperate to get help in respect of that. He has demonstrated genuine remorse, not only with his guilty plea but also that he has shown some insight into the effects his offending has had on his father.

"Tensions were obviously brewing and it culminated in this offence. He knows that is not an excuse for his behaviour. He has had time to reflect on his behaviour. He is thoroughly ashamed. He is honest about his problem and eager to rectify it.”

O’Toole had been hospitalised in the Becklin Centre in Leeds a month before the attack because of problems with his bipolar disorder, which is known to cause extreme mood swings.

Judge Penelope Belcher jailed O’Toole for 32 months and told him: “It was plainly about money. I have seen photographs of the injuries, they are horrible cuts caused to your father’s head.

"It was a prolonged and persistent and it was a very unpleasant attack.”