A PENSIONER has been jailed for five years for the manslaughter of his 44-year-old son after a row over takeaway food.

Ossie James, aged 74, of Brockill Crescent, Brockley, was cleared of murdering Joseph James, but found guilty of manslaughter at the Old Bailey today (July 22).

Police were called to the father’s house on February 21 last year where Joseph James was lying bleeding in the hallway.

A post mortem examination gave cause of death as a stab wound to the heart.

The victim, of Deptford Broadway, had been staying at his dad’s home for the previous three or four weeks.

The court had heard how the pair argued after Joseph James arrived home with chicken and chips instead of Chinese food.

Speaking after the verdict Detective Inspector Bob Meade said: “The killing of a son by his natural father is difficult to comprehend, and is undoubtedly one of the worst crimes imaginable.

“This case is worse than many of this type, as it occurred for the most trivial of reasons, following an argument over which takeaway food Joseph James should have purchased on that fateful day.

“This is yet another example which highlights the apparent haste in which some people are prepared to arm themselves in the heat of an argument, with fatal consequences.

“Ossie James never took the time to consider the consequences. As a result, he killed his own son and destroyed what remains of his own life. He now has to live with what he has done.

“The conviction of a killer often allows the victim's family to begin to rebuild their lives. That rebuilding process is likely to be even harder when the person responsible is within the immediate family.”