Repeatedly assaulted as a child, a Winnipeg man turned his rage on his now wheelchair-bound father in what a judge Tuesday called a sadistic case of elder abuse.

The 44-year-old man pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault in connection with a prolonged attack on his 65-year-old father, Feb. 16, 2013.

The offender is not being named in order to protect the identity of his father.

"The background in no way extinguishes the personal culpability of the accused ... (or) absolves him of responsibility of what he did to his father," Judge Sid Lerner said before sentencing the man to three years in custody.

"It is important to send the message this is not the way to seek redress for past wrongs," Lerner said. "This kind of conduct cannot be justified."

Court heard the victim suffers from multiple sclerosis and has only limited use of one arm. The accused was the victim's primary caregiver at the time of the attack as his mother — the victim's wife — was out of the country. The victim became concerned for his safety after his son unexpectedly started verbally abusing and threatening him, Crown attorney Daniel Chaput told court.

The victim twice appealed for help — first to his son's ex-wife when she briefly stopped at the house and later in an email to another son in Europe — after which the accused punched the victim up to 40 times in the face.

"The victim could do very little to defend himself," Chaput said. "The victim said just to kill him, he didn't want to suffer anymore. (The accused) said no, he was going to torture him and then he was going to kill him."

The victim quoted his son as saying "By the time police arrive I am going to throw gasoline on you, I am going to burn you and all they are going to find is ashes."

When the victim asked his son for water he was given dish soap, Chaput said. The accused tried to force it in the victim's mouth then poured it on his head and face.

The victim told police the accused held a pillow over his face for two minutes but he was able to move his face aside so he could breathe.

Later, a home care worker — alerted by an email from the victim's other son — arrived at the home and found the victim trying to escape down the back lane.

Police arrested the accused hiding in a basement bathtub.

Court heard the accused is an alcoholic and has no memory of the incident. As a child, he suffered repeated abuse at the hands of his father, including being intentionally burned with cigarettes and having his head shoved in a toilet.

"My resentments and alcoholism made for a terribly destructive situation that festered to a breaking point — an example of horrific and senseless violence," the accused told court.

While in custody, the accused completed addictions counselling, and attended regular church and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

"He's done everything he can possibly do to better himself," said defence lawyer Kevin Sneesby.

Lerner credited the man 22 1/2 months for time served, reducing his remaining sentence to 13 1/2 months. A three-year probation order includes a requirement he not live with his father when released from custody.

dean.pritchard@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @deanatwpgsun