Man jailed for 'truly despicable' attack on his frail father

A man who violently attacked his elderly father in his own home before robbing him of £40,000 has been jailed for seven years.

Gary Mooney, 44, assaulted William Mooney, 80, after the pensioner asked him to make a cup of tea at the house in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, on 7 February last year.

Mooney punched, kicked, slapped and choked his father before stealing his money, which was kept in his home as an inheritance for his grandchildren.

Sentencing Mooney at the High Court in Glasgow, Judge Lord Arthurson described the attack as a "truly despicable crime."

The court heard how Mooney's father - who died a month after the attack - was in poor health, had a complicated medical history and required daily carers.

His son had been staying at his home to help look after him.

On the day of the attack, the pensioner had been in his living room when Mooney turned on him.

Last month he admitted robbing and assaulting his father to his severe injury and danger of his life.

Prosecutor BJ Gill previously told the court that Mooney came down the stairs "shouting and swearing" before grabbing his father by the throat.

Gill said: "William could hardly breathe, went in and out of consciousness and thought he was going to die."

Mooney then gouged his thumbs into his father's eyes and told him: "You will not be able to see your son when you die."

He demanded to know where his father had hidden an inheritance of around £37,000, which he then stole alongside £3,000 that he used for household bills.

Mooney went on to cancel carer visits for his father for the rest of that week and claimed he was "unwell" when one arrived to carry out a check.

The court heard he followed the carer to her car and threatened he would "get her sacked".

Mooney then locked his father in his home and left.

William managed to escape using a spare key and raised the alarm with a neighbour.

He told them: "Gary set about me. He has got all my money. He has taken £40,000."

William was taken to hospital with a bleed on the brain, a fractured back and ribs as well as bruising on his face and chest.

However, he went on to develop pneumonia and other complications while in hospital and died on 6 March.

A post-mortem examination discovered that William had undiagnosed advanced lung cancer, which was determined as the cause of death alongside pneumonia.

Mooney was arrested after he stopped police outside of his flat in the early hours after the attack and said: "I hear you are looking for me."

He admitted he did not "get on" with his father and that he had an earlier "violent outburst".

Officers discovered £16,750 of the stolen money hidden in Mooney's home, however, the rest has never been found.

Before he was sentenced, the court heard how Mooney's mental health had declined in the lead up to the attack due to the breakdown of his marriage and the strain of looking after his father.

He has been remanded in custody since the incident and had "lost all contact" with his children.

Mooney has four previous convictions, including one for assault in 2012, but had never served a custodial sentence.

The court heard that he was "very ashamed" for acting in the way he did and never got the chance to see his father before he died.

Taking into account Mooney's background and his early guilty plea, Lord Arthurson reduced his sentence from nine to seven years.