“I will burn the house down like Raoul Moat" – son’s threats to dad at South Yorkshire home

James Fairbanks appeared "unannounced" in the garden of his dad's Barnsley home on June 12, said prosecutor Brian Outhwaite, but was told he couldn't come in, following an earlier incident in which he chased his father around the garden while armed with a poker.

He became angry and abusive when he discovered the phone he had been promised couldn't be delivered that day, shouting: "I will f****** knife you."

To placate him, hIs stepfather drove to Argos in Barnsley to see if he could buy a phone, but the shop was shut. When told they would deliver it to him, Fairbanks said: "I am not leaving until I get that phone."

In the living room, he said: "It would be an awful shame if your new, precious settee caught fire."

He threatened to poison his father with "tablets off the internet," and said: "I will pour petrol through the letterbox and burn the house down like Raoul Moat."

Fairbanks, who was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome when he was 18, made unexpected visits to his adoptive parents' home over the years to demand money, the court heard.

His parents said they were left "deeply upset and scared," but didn't want to see him imprisoned, adding he had been let down by the health authorities.

The court heard that he also posted “grossly offensive” Facebook messages after he was told to turn down his music, last year.

James Gould, mitigating, said: "This is a man who has had very long standing mental ill-health problems.”

He said the delay in arraigning Fairbanks was caused because a psychiatrist had to assess his fitness to plead.

"He wants to bring this matter to an end as soon as possible,” Mr Gould said. “He is a complex individual with complex needs.

"Custody is particularly difficult for someone like himself. He has been in custody since September 1. He doesn't seek to hide behind his mental ill-health."

Fairbanks, 34, of Yews Lane, Worsbrough Common, Barnsley, pleaded to making threats to kill and damage property.

On Wednesday, Judge Graham Reeds QC sentenced him to 36 weeks in prison.

Read the latest cases from Sheffield Crown Court here.

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