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Man murdered his own father with repeated blows to the head

Posted on - 12th April, 2024 - 5:59pm | Author - | Posted in - Crime, Deepdale, Lancashire Police, Preston News, Ribbleton
Austin Duckworth (left) and Stephen Duckworth
Austin Duckworth (left) and Stephen Duckworth

A Preston man callously told his father he better phone an ambulance after breaking into his home and repeatedly punching him in the head.

Although the victim was able to call the police and tell them what happened, he was later revealed to have a bleed to the brain and died in October.

Austin Duckworth was today (12 April) found guilty of murdering Stephen Duckworth, his father, in an attack last year.

Read more: 17-year-old boy dies after motorbike crash in Garstang Road

Austin Duckworth had already breached his bail conditions on 26 August by attending the home of the victim Stephen Duckworth on St George’s Road. He forced his way into his father’s home and repeatedly punched him to the head, before walking away, telling his father he better call an ambulance.

Stephen was able to contact the police and provided an account of what had happened. He declined medical attention initially, but he felt increasingly unwell as the day progressed, resulting in him calling for an ambulance later that same evening.

Stephen was taken to hospital where it was discovered that he had a ‘devastating bleed to the brain’. Despite the best efforts of medical staff, Stephen died from his injuries on 12 October.

A post mortem examination revealed the cause of Stephen’s death was blunt force head trauma. After a five-day trial at Preston Crown Court, Austin Duckworth, 37, of no fixed address, was found guilty of murder.

He will be sentenced on 16 April.

DCI Jill Riley, from Lancashire police’s Force Major Investigation Team, said: “This is a tragic case involving the death of a 72-year-old man, in his own home, at the hands of his son.

“Austin Duckworth set about punching his elderly father to the head and face and continued to do so as he fell to his knees and sought to protect himself from the blows with his arms. This was a callous and violent attack and one which left Stephen with non-survivable injuries.

“This is a very rare case where a murder victim was able to provide an account of the attack to the police, which was played to the jury during this trial. This was extremely upsetting for members of Stephen’s family who were present in court, and I must thank them for the way in which they conducted themselves throughout the trial and for the support that they have given to this investigation.

“I am pleased that justice has been served today and hope this goes in some way to providing comfort to Stephen’s family.”

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