A knife-throwing enthusiast is accused of throwing a carving knife at his son – leaving him with cuts to his neck.

Darren Oretagu, 54, admits causing the wounds that left his grown-up son bloodied and fearing for his life. But the Kidlington man denies intending to cause grievous bodily harm.

Jurors at Oxford Crown Court heard that Oretagu’s son went round to the house in Winston Close, Kidlington, the defendant shared with his parents on November 16, 2019, furious that he had not been told his grandfather had been in hospital.

The son admitted shouting obscenities at Oretagu and grabbing him around the cheeks but denied his dad’s claim that he’d put him in a neck lock. They went to the floor before he decided to leave, the son told jurors. He claimed he’d been punched by his father and went outside.

Put in the stand, the complainant said he’d seen movement through the frosted door and heard rustling that ‘could have been’ his father rummaging in a cutlery drawer. His grandmother shouted ‘no Darren, no’, he claimed. In ‘disbelief’ and worried for his grandmother, the victim opened the door and Oretagu ‘tried to come at him’ with a nine-inch carving knife.

He claimed his dad raised his arm above his head and, holding the knife by the blade, threw it at him – comparing the action to that he’d seen his dad use when he was throwing knives at a target.

The victim said he’d felt a jab the noticed ‘lots of blood’. He went outside and, fearing the wounds to his neck would be fatal, called his partner. Both his partner and his grandmother called 999.

His father came outside with a tea towel to staunch the bleeding. He alleged his dad then kicked him in the shoulder, although the claim was denied.

Oretagu, who has already pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm, denied intending to cause his son serious harm. He said he had thrown the knife on impulse and was holding the handle – not the blade – when he did so. The defendant claimed to have briefly fallen unconscious after he was put in a neck lock by his son.

Closing the defence case, his barrister Gordanna Austin told the jury: “When he picked up the knife that night he had absolutely no intention to cause serious injury to his son.” There were ‘no winners’ in the case – regardless of the jury’s verdicts. “You have a father and son who it seems are unlikely to repair their relationship.”

Oretagu, of Winston Close, Kidlington, denies wounding with intent. The trial continues.