A MAN cleared of a sexual offence against a boy stabbed the youngster’s stepfather in a revenge attack two years later.

Robert Wells, 37, stabbed the man with a dart 16 times in the family home in Barton, Oxford, and then threatened to kill him, his wife and stepson.

A judge at Oxford Crown Court jailed serial offender Wells for 30 months yesterday for his “utterly disgusting”

behaviour.

John Upton, prosecuting, said Wells had been the defendant in a trial at the crown court two years ago, where he had been accused of sexually touching the stepson of his victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons. He was acquitted of the offence but, the court heard, he continued to harbour a grudge against the family.

Mr Upton said Wells went to his victim’s home at 8.40pm on November 3, last year.

He knocked on the door and, when the stepfather answered it, Wells began stabbing him with a dart, the court was told.

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Wells then pulled out a dumbbell shaft and started shouting threats, saying he would come back and stab the stepfather and his wife to death and “cave” his boy’s head in.

Mr Upton said Wells, of North Way, Headington, had 20 previous convictions for 39 offences, many of them alcohol-related.

James Riley, defending, said: “This essentially comes about as a result of a false allegation of sexual assault and the stress of that, and the defendant’s inability to cope with it. He had a relationship and that fell apart at the time of that allegation.”

Judge Ian Pringle told Wells: “Whatever happened two or three years ago in relation to the allegation against you, you have inside you a burning resentment at what happened.”

Commenting on Wells’ threats, he said: “That sort of behaviour is utterly disgusting”

Wells pleaded guilty to assault and possessing an offensive weapon.