A man who went to prison for attacking his own father with a hammer says he would do it again if he had to, after his family 'cried out for help' for years.
Ben Wilson, 27, said that his father Craig had frequently abused his mum Tracey. Craig was convicted and sentenced to two years in prison for beating his mum and strangling her on New Year's Eve 2007.
On the day that Wilson snapped in May 2014, his dad had threatened to 'chop everybody up' with a six-inch knife.
It was when he heard screaming from his parents' room at their home in Teeside that he stormed in with a hammer and hit his dad eight times.
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His dad had multiple holes in his face, fractures to his jaw, cheekbone, eye sockets and nose and was left with brain damage.
Craig survived the attack and after hitting him, Ben cycled to the police station, covered in blood and handed himself in.
The judge gave him six years in jail after he admitted to grievous bodily harm in January 2015 - the lowest sentence possible, with the judge saying that Ben's previous good character and the abuse of his father were all taken into account.
Now he's served his time, he has spoken out about how the law should be changed in order to take into account whether or not someone is defending a family member.
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While he was in prison in Durham, Ben was rebuilding his relationship with his father, but Craig tragically killed himself before he was released. He was given permission to attend the funeral.
After four years in jail, Ben was released this year and is trying to start his life over again.
Although he blames himself for his dad's death, he says he still can't regret his actions as they potentially saved his mum's life.
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Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Ben said: "I wanted it to stop. I've sacrificed myself. I said to myself, if this takes me... I don't regret it.
"I'd made a massive mistake, but the way I see it, and I still see it now is that if I didn't do that, then what's to say my mum would be here now or I would be here now."
According to the news outlet, Cleveland Police say they had visited the house several times before the attack. A spokesperson for the force said that it's 'extremely sorry' and that officers now have more training on domestic violence situations.
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