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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
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Loving dad killed by his drunk son had repeatedly begged him to stop drinking so much

A loving father who was murdered by his drunken son had repeatedly begged him to stop drinking so much.

Neil Farrington was killed by his own son, Neil Badrock, after he urged him to come home and stop drinking following a 10 hour pub crawl.

The 51-year-old was beaten by his son in a “ferocious, brutal and totally unforgiving” street attack, The Liverpool Echo reported.

Police were called to a scene where Badrock was seen “volleying” his dad whilst he shouted: “I will f****** kill you”.

A trial heard how Neil had tried to stop his 28-year-old son getting involved in drunken fights both the night of his death and the night before.

Badrock, from Kirkby, Merseyside, admitted manslaughter but denied murder, claiming he never intended to cause his father serious harm.

He was convicted of murder and will be sentenced on Wednesday.

Neil Badrock (left), 27, and his dad Neil Farrington, 51, (Liverpool Echo)

Liverpool Crown Court heard that he started drinking shortly after midday on May 17, last year, and begun his 10-hour “pub crawl”.

Events took a turn for the worst shortly before 6pm, when Badrock began arguing with a man playing snooker, and texted his dad about the confrontation.

In one message he told his dad: "I will bite his f***ing windpipe out if I have to."

His dad replied: "Think you need to go home, you sound half bevvied and you're vulnerable then - got too much to lose lad."

He would later tell the jury he didn't want to go home because "I was enjoying myself".

Benjamin Myers, QC, defending, asked his client: "Was he concerned that you were going out and drinking too much?"

Badrock said: "He was yeah, he thought I was drinking too much."

Mr Myers asked: "How did you react?"

Badrock replied: "I was obviously p***ed off because I thought 'I work all of the time and if I want to go out and have a drink I will have a drink'."

Mr Myers said: "Whatever the relationship was between you and your father, how did you feel about your father when you came to May 17?"

"Pretty good," Badrock replied, explaining that it felt "shocking" to be on trial for his dad's murder, because "he's not here no more".

Mr Myers said: "Whose fault is that?"

"Mine," Badrock replied, adding that it made him feel "disgusting".

Neil Badrock, 27, of Kenbury Close (Liverpool Echo)

A barmaid asked Badrock to leave after he loudly told his dad to "f*** off", shortly after 11pm. A few minutes later, his dad followed after him.

Badrock told the jury: "I realised I had had a ridiculous amount to drink and I just wanted to go home and sleep it off."

Kirkby Row resident Rebecca Alger, who looked out of her window and saw two men arguing, recalled Mr Farrington telling his son "I'm f***ing sick of it, I've put up with it for 20 years", before pushing him in the chest and going to walk away.

Badrock said he didn't remember that being said, adding: "I just remember him coming towards me and grabbing me by the throat."

Badrock later suggested marks on his throat, shown on photographs after his arrest, were from where his dad had grabbed him, and he'd struggled to breathe.

The scene on Kirby Row, where the brutal attack took place (Liverpool ECHO)

After headbutting his dad, witnesses saw Badrock lifting his victim's head up and "bashing" it down on the pavement, before "volleying" him in the head with repeated kicks, punching and stamping on him.

He previously said: "I feel sick… I have now lost a dad and it is devastating. It is devastating what I done. I can't believe I have done that to my own dad."

Badrock told the jury he didn't realise his dad was out cold when he repeatedly punched and kicked him because he was "raging" and had "lost control".

He even suggested he was in fear of his dad getting up after the headbutt, which led the prosecution asking why he didn't kneel down and check on his condition.

Mr Farrington's injuries were horrific. Jurors were shown two photos of what he looked like when he was admitted to hospital, with "significant head trauma", extensive facial and scalp swelling and bruising; bleeding inside the skull; brain bruising and swelling; and a fracture of the skull.

Neil was taken to hospital with severe injuries and passed away five weeks later (Liverpool Echo)

He spent five weeks fighting for his life, during which time his son was charged with attempted murder.

That charge was amended to murder when he died in hospital on June 21, leaving friends, family and work colleagues bereft.

Jimmy Farrington explained what a good dad his brother was, and how he'd done everything for his son, before becoming visibly upset.

Turning to the dock, he started calling his nephew a "coward", then accused him of "smirking".

Shocked jurors looked on as Badrock could be heard to respond: "You are letting yourself down Jimmy."

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