An Indian-origin man has been sentenced to 19 weeks in jail after he smashed his parents' television into pieces in a drunken rage at their home in the East Midlands region of England.
Sherinder Dhindsa, the son of Derbyshire's Police and Crime Commissioner Hardyal Dhindsa, picked up the TV at his parents' home at Allestree in Derby last month and smashed it into a radiator as his "frightened" parents looked on.
The police official said he and his wife had no choice but to press charges against their 31-year-old son as it was the latest in a string of alcohol-fuelled incidents, The Derby Telegraph reports.
"We still love him. I want to help him – we want our son back but we can't have him living with us, for our own safety," Hardyal said in a statement.
"We do want to support him, but in a structured way outside of our home. We hope he continues to get help for his addiction and problems inside his head. We still want to have contact with him. We just don't want him to come to our own home," he said.
Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court heard how the incident came just weeks after the accused had been handed down a suspended sentence for a car accident while under the influence on alcohol. He was also handed a 40-month driving ban following the incident in September.
"He initially put his fist through the screen and continued to generate an argument with his parents. He then picked the TV up and threw it at a radiator, smashing it into pieces," Prosecutor Mark Fielding told the court in reference to the subsequent incident on November 30.
The court was told that Sherinder Dhindsa had become "addicted" to alcohol after splitting from his partner and taking over a pub.
The court has imposed a two-year restraining order on him, which prohibits him from going to his parents' house. His eight-week sentence coupled with the previous 11-week suspended sentence means Sherinder must serve a 19-week sentence.
During the court proceedings, his Defence lawyer, Pardeep Kalyan, appealed for his client to be spared jail time.
"Rehab is something he knows he needs. He went into a rehabilitation unit last year. It did work for a short period of time, but unfortunately he relapsed," the lawyer told the court.
"He knows alcohol has to be defeated and he is keen for it not to win over him," he said.
Presiding Magistrate Keith Robinson decided on a custodial sentence because the incident occurred just 10 days after a suspended jail sentence, which is predicated on good behaviour.
"You would have been fully aware of what would happen if you failed to stay out of trouble," the judge told Sherinder Dhindsa.
He must serve at least half of the 19 weeks behind bars and the rest on parole.
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