A MAN who bludgeoned his father with a dumbbell called 999 straight afterwards and said 'I've killed my dad – arrest me'.

Dominic Hodgson has today been jailed for life with a minimum term of 14 years for the murder of his father, Robert, at the family home in Sherborne earlier this year.

Emergency services were called to the address at 5.10pm on Tuesday, May 21 by the 37-year-old defendant himself. He had been living at the property in Ridgeway since March this year.

Hodgson told the operator he had hit his father over the head with a dumbbell and he needed to be arrested.

Police rushed to the scene and found the door unlocked and Hodgson sitting on the floor by the stairs. He told them his dad was in the living room.

Mr Hodgson, who was 72, was found on the sofa with significant head injuries. Officers provided first aid until paramedics arrived and Mr Hodgson was flown by air ambulance to Southmead Hospital in Bristol.

However, despite the efforts of the emergency services, he was pronounced dead at hospital at 11.38pm.

His son was arrested at the scene. A bloodstained metal dumbbell was found on the floor of the living room. Several butane gas canisters were also found at the address.

A post-mortem examination found that Mr Hodgson had died as the result of multiple blows from a blunt object to the left side of the head.

Medical evidence put before the court outlined Hodgson’s history of abuse of butane gas. He admitted he had been under the influence of the gas on the day he murdered his dad.

Hodgson admitted murdering his father at Winchester Crown Court today.

Detective Inspector Simon Huxter, of Dorset Police’s Major Crime Investigation Team (MCIT), said: “This was a tragic set of circumstances, which will no doubt have caused significant pain and distress to the Hodgson family, undoubtedly exacerbated by the fact that Dominic was responsible for his father’s death.

“Dominic Hodgson’s guilty plea today does, in my view, demonstrate some remorse for his actions but ultimately this sad case demonstrates the dangers of self-intoxication. I have no doubt that Robert would still be alive today had it not been for Dominic’s abuse of butane gas on that fateful day.

“I would urge anyone who abuses butane gas to seek help via their GP or contact the Talk to Frank support service on 0300 1236600.

“I would also like to thank the community of Sherborne for the support shown to Dorset Police in the aftermath of Robert’s death and I pay tribute to the many colleagues from the Force and partner agencies that have supported this professional and meticulous investigation that has brought Dominic Hodgson to justice for his actions.

“I would particularly like to pay tribute to Detective Sergeant Dave Wise and Detective Constable Felicity Dalladay who led the investigation and Karen O’Donnell for the support she has given to Robert’s family throughout the investigation in her role as family liaison officer.

“My thoughts remain with the friends and family of Robert for their very sad loss.”