AN angry dad from Warrington who threatened to “wipe out” a shop assistant who had made an official complaint about his son has been jailed.
David Atherton went round to the shop where the assistant, Gobu Kasupathy, was working alone and after “laying in wait” till he was alone went inside “visibly angry.”
He aggressively told him, “My son got arrested today because of you,” said Chris Hopkins, prosecuting.
The worker replied, “I am not in the wrong, your son was in the wrong” and Atherton threatened if his son was convicted, “I’m going to sort you out.”
He said if his son was jailed he would “f…..ing get hold of you. If he goes down I’m going to wipe you out, you little b…..’.
Mr Kasupathy said after the incident on September 24 last year in the P &S Late Shop in Folly Lane, Bewsey, Warrington, he had been left fearing for his safety and his heart condition felt worse.
Atherton, of Longshaw Street, Bewsey and Whitecross, Warrington, pleaded guilty to intimidating a witness with intent to pervert the course of justice.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that the 59-year-old defendant has previous convictions but nothing since 2010.
Jim Smith, defending, said, “He is very sorry for his actions.” He said the defendant could not read or write very well and was not very articulate. He had had problems in his youth and early adulthood, with elements of neglect.
His son had been arrested that day for assault and he was seeking to “come to the defence of his children.” His son, who has mental health issues, was subsequently convicted and fined.
Mr Smith said that Atherton, who had been drinking ten cans of lager a day, was suffering from emotional trauma and “was not thinking clearly at the time of the incident.”
He was a carer for his 16-year-old daughter who has health issues and his wife, who sat in the public gallery, also has health difficulties including diabetes and COPD.
His last conviction was for assaulting a police officer, also “in a misguided attempt to help his son”, said Mr Smith.
Judge Garrett Byrne jailed Atherton for 16 months and told him, “You were drunk and you acted extremely aggressively.
“You lay in wait and waited for other customers to come and go for a considerable amount of time but you did not calm down.”
He told him his behaviour involved the “blatant threat of violence, you were not trying to cajole.”
The judge said he accepted he is effectively the carer for members of his family but he has three grown-up children, social services were involved and the offence was so serious only immediate custody was justified.
Judge Byrne added, “You seem to show a limited understanding of your behaviour and harbour pre-criminal attitudes.”
7 Comments
10 cans of lager a day ! LOL
**THINK HE NEEDS TO GO ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS**
This is the wife of David Atherton i don’t think that it’s a laughing matter about my husband drinking people only get to hear one side of the incident and i don’t think it’s acceptable for a shop worker to turn around to a 16 year old girl and say are you think or what as my daughter as learning difficulties and short memory loss and for him to go and say get your brother who also have mental health issues? And was also under investigation for cancer my son is not in prison but you know what my husband might of done the wrong thing but good know to his loyalty is to protect his family as being parent is what it’s all about and you know what you might want to try it and see how you get on with two kids with disabilities another one who is in and out of alder hay and a wife of 31 years also with poor health and see what you do to get through it I’m happy to hear that this was put out as it’s not Fair on the rest of my family so if they want to put it out there then I’m going to put it there
PREVIOUS FOR **ASSAULTING A POLICE OFFICER**. THEN THREATENS TO **WIPE OUT A SHOPKEEPER**. ON HIS OWN PREMISES !! VERY LUCKY DIDNT GET 5 YEARS !
hes a local in the pub before he goes and picks his kid up hes always polite so its a shock seeing this but i dont know what happened so all i can say is hes always been polite and respectfull to me
sounds JEKYLL AND HIDE to me, hes in best place now, be interesting to see if he threatens to ****WIPE OUT**** any prisoners hey !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just goes to show you really don’t know someone then. Just be glad it wasn’t you who crossed him.
******HE NEEDS DIVORCING, WHO WANTS TO BE MARRIED TO A CRIMINAL?******