Booze and drug addict's criminal behaviour leaves parents at breaking point

Photo shows Cherry Grove, Warsop
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A booze and drug addict has left his long-suffering parents at "breaking point” following a raft of offences against them including cutting his father with a knife and “wrecking the house”. Nottingham Crown Court heard how Ryan Revill’s mum and dad “have gone through hell” due to his criminal behaviour against them over a number of years.

The 29-year-old, who has 21 previous court appearances to his name, has been able to get sober since being remanded into prison over the past four months. But now he is out again with a warning from the judge that "you can’t go on blaming your parents forever".

Handing him an 18-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, Deputy District Judge David Chidgey said: “Your parents have gone through hell and I suspect they are not on their own. The main thing I am concerned with is the assault on your father.

“He has been trying to do his best and I think when you are sober and clean you can say that. It is an awful task for a family when one of their children is addicted to drink and drugs.

“They are trying and trying and trying and they think a corner has been turned but then it has not. You approached your father holding a knife and making a slashing motion and that is an incredibly serious thing to do.

“It is down to you to make things up to them and the best way is on the straight and narrow. Don’t turn back, give yourself a clean start while being apologetic. You can’t go on blaming your parents forever.”

Julia King, prosecuting, said Revill’s latest set of offences took place between December 17 last year and May 11 this year. She said he damaged property at the family home in Cherry Grove, Warsop, after they refused to give him money he had demanded.

The prosecutor said, on January 27, the defendant’s father came home from work to find it a mess and, on February 16, Revill damaged a door panel, leaving it hanging off, and later admitted to the police he had “wrecked the house”. Miss King said: “On May 11, his mother took him to a caravan they owned and when his father went to collect him he was under the influence of drink and drugs and approached him holding a knife and making a slashing motion with it causing a cut to his arm.

“He continued to behave in a volatile way and, when the police came to arrest him, he ran away. He then sent text messages to his mother begging her not to make a statement to the police.”

Revill, currently of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to charges including criminal damage, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and attempting to pervert the course of justice. He has 21 convictions for 37 offences. The prosecutor read out a victim impact statement made by the defendant's mother. In it she said: “We are not able to have a social life, we can not have the grandchildren over or friends over for a drink and a meal.

“I want what is best for Ryan. I want him to get the help he needs. We have simply reached breaking point.”

Lauren Manuel, mitigating, said her client has been remanded into prison since May and time behind bars has got him clean of alcohol and drugs. She said: “He knows he has a lot of bridges to build with his parents.”

As part of the suspended sentence order, the judge ordered Revill to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and to attend 20 rehabilitation sessions with the probation service.