A father of three will spend Christmas behind bars after allegedly assaulting his 14-year-old son.
The man, aged 44, faced the ACT Magistrates Court on Saturday charged with three counts of assaulting his eldest son, and one count of resisting arrest.
It is alleged he punched the teenager while he was drunk, and told him he was a loser and pathetic. The teenager was trying to protect two younger siblings from the abuse.
The alleged incident occurred on Friday, December 16. The police statement tendered to court said the man had been drinking cask wine from about midday and when the boy, 14, and two younger siblings arrived home from school. He verbally abused the two younger siblings, before the eldest boy told him to back off. The teenager told his younger siblings to lock themselves in their bedrooms, pack their bags and get ready to leave.
He made sure their doors were locked before he took his dad's wine cask into the backyard, where his father followed him.
The police statement alleges the defendant appeared agitated and was positioned ready to fight his son.
"You need to get out of this house. You're a loser, you're pathetic," the father allegedly said.
The son allegedly told his father he had a chance to stop but if he didn't one of the younger siblings would call police.
It is alleged the man then grabbed his son by the shirt and punched him with a closed fist to the collarbone. Fearing his father, the son then punched back and then pulled away.
The son walked back into the house where twice his father grabbed his shirt, and the boy punched his father in an effort to get him to let go, fearing he would again be hurt.
Police arrived and observed the man unsteady on his feet, smelling strongly of alcohol and having difficulty forming sentences.
As police tried to the arrest the man they allege he actively tried to get away.
At the time of the offence, the man was under a court order to not assault, threaten, harass or intimidate the teenager after a previous incident in November where he allegedly waved a sledge hammer and spanner at police, and was forcibly restrained. He is facing charges of assaulting police from that incident, and of breaching bail conditions.
In court on Saturday, Magistrate Morrison said the man was incapable of looking after himself while intoxicated, with the teenager helping to shower, toilet and change him.
He said the man clearly suffered chronic alcoholism and bail conditions could not adequately address the risk he posed.
Bail was refused and the man was remanded in custody. He will face court again in January. No pleas were entered.