A MAN from Rhyl who strangled his estranged stepfather through his own car window has been spared jail.

Kyle McKillen, 28, of Gwynfryn Avenue, was sentenced to a year’s imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, at Mold Crown Court today (November 8).

He had previously admitted, on October 18, a charge of intentional strangulation.

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Prosecuting, Karl Scholz told the court that, prior to March 21, the date of this incident, the relationship between the defendant and his stepfather, Patrick McKillen, had soured due to family disputes.

On March 21, McKillen was driving alongside his stepfather, who live on the same street, before parking close to his vehicle, effectively preventing from leaving his car.

He shouted abuse at Patrick McKillen, including calling him a “bad father”, and was becoming “increasingly angry” when he got out of his van.

McKillen then went to the driver’s window of his stepfather’s car, where he was seated, and drew back a raised arm as if to punch him.

Though he did not punch him, he later returned to the window, which was open, reached inside, and put both of his hands around his stepfather’s neck, squeezing for about 10 seconds.

After this, McKillen returned to his vehicle and drove away, but his stepfather was left feeling “dizzy”, with pain in his neck at the top of his spine.

He attended the Emergency Department at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, Bodelwyddan that afternoon, where he was given medication to relieve his pain.

In a victim statement, Patrick McKillen said he is scared to leave his home unaccompanied since the incident, and takes antidepressants.

When the defendant was interviewed on May 10, he accepted there had been a verbal argument between him and his stepfather, but denied putting his hands around his neck.

Defending McKillen, who had previous convictions from 2021 for two counts of possessing an offensive weapon in public, Ryan Rothwell asked for a “non-immediate custodial sentence” for him.

Mr Rothwell said that this was a “short-lived incident”, which transpired after matters had “got out of hand”.

He said it was “out of character” for McKillen, whose remorse is “self-evident from his pre-sentence report”.

References made on McKillen’s behalf suggested that there is an “excellent side to his character”, Mr Rothwell added.

A roofer and a father-of-two, McKillen is the sole breadwinner for his family, with his partner said to be unable to afford their rent if he was sentenced to immediate custody.

Sentencing, Recorder Neil Owen-Casey agreed to suspend McKillen’s jail term.

Instead, McKillen must pay costs to the Crown Prosecution Service of £450 and a victim surcharge of £187.

McKillen will also complete 200 hours’ unpaid work and adhere to a two-year restraining order.

Recorder Owen-Casey told McKillen that the threat of prison will be “hanging over you for the next 18 months”.

He added: “There is clearly an awful lot of upset in this family.

“You don’t need me to remind you that, had things turned out in a different way, you may be standing in the dock on a more serious charge.

“This would have been a painful and distressing incident for him (Patrick McKillen). This has had a lasting impact; not just on him, but on your family as a whole.”