A MAN accused of hitting his 16-year-old son on the back of the head with a hammer had intended to smash the teen’s mobile phone for failing to “pull his weight,” his solicitor insisted on Friday.

Alex Fitzgerald, defending at Llandudno court, said the 42-year-old dad had been “completely reckless.”

The prosecution said the victim had been covered in blood when police arrived at Abergele after a 999 call.

Mr Fitzgerald said his client had agreed to fix the boy’s broken mobile phone screen if the youngster pulled his weight. But the teen didn’t and the father decided to “exact retribution on the phone.”

The lawyer said the boy came rushing aggressively towards his dad. “He pushed him away with his left hand and raised his right hand. The handle of the hammer caught the boy’s shoulder and contact was made with the head. The defendant is being attacked by his son and the striking of the hammer is completely reckless,” Mr Fitzgerald insisted

District judge Gwyn Jones bailed the defendant for a pre-sentence report after he admitted the assault and warned that jail was a “real possibility.” The boy can’t be identified.