Son who offered £5,000 on Facebook to anyone would kill his father before punching the 72

A son who offered £5,000 on Facebook to anyone who would kill his father before punching the 72-year-old to death himself has been jailed for 17 years.

Austin Duckworth forced his way into the house of his father Stephen on August 26 2023, repeatedly punched him on the head and told him he 'better call an ambulance' as he walked off. 

The 37-year-old, of no fixed address, did not attend court to face his extended family when Judge Medland KC handed down his life sentence.

The judge said bizarre and abusive messages, in which Duckworth offered a reward to anyone prepared to kill his father, indicated a degree of poor mental health.

Despite assessments by professionals to determine whether Duckworth had grounds for the partial defence of diminished responsibility, reports concluded there was nothing to meet the criteria.

Austin Duckworth, 37, (pictured) of no fixed address, did not attend court to face his extended family when Judge Medland KC handed down his life sentence

The judge said bizarre and abusive messages, in which Duckworth offered a reward to anyone prepared to kill his father Stephen (pictured), indicated a degree of poor mental health

During a trial at Preston Crown Court Duckworth refused to enter the witness box to answer questions about the events which led to his father’s death.

The only account he gave was a written defence statement in which he denied entering his father’s house on the morning of August 12 - later found to be a lie when the jury found him guilty of murder.

On August 26, 2023, Austin Duckworth visited the home of his father and demanded a pair of walking boots.

Duckworth had been barred from the house because of his increasingly abusive and violent behaviour towards his father. 

When Mr Duckworth Snr said he could not find the boots, his son kicked the door so hard the security catch flew off and 'pummelled' his father in the hallway.  

Despite calling 999 and speaking to police, Mr Duckworth Snr initially refused medical attention and started feeling increasingly unwell as the day went on.

Mr Duckworth walked off in the direction off in the direction of Preston North End football club, leaving his father injured and shaken.

Judge Medland KC concluded Duckworth's (pictured) conviction for murder was on the basis he intended to do really serious harm to his father, but did not intend to kill

During a trial at Preston Crown Court (pictured) Duckworth refused to enter the witness box to answer questions about the events which led to his father’s death

Police arrived at the house and Mr Duckworth was able to make a statement which was captured on a body worn camera. 

Later in the evening, Mr Duckworth Snr called an ambulance from his home in Preston and hospital staff discovered he had a 'devastating bleed to the brain'.

By October 12, the father had died from his injuries with a post mortem examination revealing the cause of his death as blunt force head trauma.

Judge Medland KC concluded Duckworth's conviction for murder was on the basis he intended to do really serious harm to his father, but did not intend to kill.

He said: 'The defendant is not present today for the sentence hearing. He has refused to attend.

'That is, in my judgement, an act of contempt to the memory of Stephen Duckworth, the wider family and the court. It displays a total absence of remorse.

'This was the culmination of a period of about three years or slightly more during which Austin Duckworth's behaviour was frequently unacceptable, aggressive, threatening and deeply, deeply troubling. The end result of that is that Stephen Duckworth had to eject him from his home.'

In mitigation the judge took into account Duckworth's previous good character and his mental health difficulties.