Man found guilty of murdering his father in Preston

A man has been found guilty of murdering his father in Preston.

On 26^th August, last year, Austin Duckworth (pictured bottom right) breached his bail conditions by attending the home of the victim Stephen Duckworth on St George’s Road. Austin Duckworth forced his way into his father’s home and repeatedly punched him to the head, before walking away, telling his father he better call an ambulance.

Stephen (pictured top right) was able to contact the police and provide an account of what had happened. He declined medical attention initially, but he felt increasingly unwell as the day progressed, resulting in him calling for an ambulance later that same evening.

Stephen was taken to hospital where it was discovered that he had a ‘devastating bleed to the brain’.

Despite the best efforts of medical staff, Stephen died from his injuries on 12^th October 2023.

A post-mortem examination revealed the cause of Stephen’s death was blunt force head trauma.

After a five-day trial at Preston Crown Court, Austin Duckworth, 37, of no fixed address, was found guilty of murder.

He will be sentenced at the same court on 16th April.

DCI Jill Riley, from our Force Major Investigation Team, said: “This is a tragic case involving the death of a 72-year-old man, in his own home, at the hands of his son. Austin Duckworth set about punching his elderly father to the head and face and continued to do so as he fell to his knees and sought to protect himself from the blows with his arms. This was a callous and violent attack and one which left Stephen with non-survivable injuries.

“This is a very rare case where a murder victim was able to provide an account of the attack to the police, which was played to the jury during this trial. This was extremely upsetting for members of Stephen’s family who were present in court, and I must thank them for the way in which they conducted themselves throughout the trial and for the support that they have given to this investigation. I am pleased that justice has been served today and hope this goes in some way to providing comfort to Stephen’s family.”