A baby-faced teenage thug who bottled his dad's colleague in a bust-up over Winter Wonderland told police on arrest he would “do it again”.

Apprentice plasterer Jamie Harris Jnr lashed out at his victim Aaron Saunders, stabbing him in the abdomen and armpit, outside a construction site in Folkestone.

The then 18-year-old was said to be ​responding to "youthful immaturity and loyalty" when his father, Jamie Harris Snr, believed the workmate had snitched to their boss about him being "out drinking".

Following a​ series of messages and calls ​with the victim on December 13, 2023, Harris Snr took his son to Shepway Close where the violent two-on-one confrontation erupted.

Harris Snr, 40, branded the builder a "fat, f***ing ****, accused him of being "a grass" and then punched him in the face.

As the two men grappled with each other, the teen joined in, first smashing the bottle over Mr Saunders' head and then stabbing and slashing at him.

Fellow workmen intervened and the father and son drove off, hurling abuse out of the window as they did so.

But while the pair both ended up in the dock at Canterbury Crown Court, it was only the teenager who was locked up - leaving his seemingly incredulous parent exclaiming "absolutely f***ing ridiculous" as he walked free and other family members wept.

Prosecutor Peter Forbes told the sentencing hearing on Tuesday that Harris Snr and Mr Saunders had known each other for some time and that there was "a grievance" on the part of Harris.

"He thought Mr Saunders had told their employer he had been out drinking and was deliberately making things difficult for him," the barrister explained.

On the morning of the assault, Harris Snr phoned his colleague to challenge him directly, only to be told by Mr Saunders that all he had said was that he (Harris Snr) had been at Winter Wonderland​, the court was told.

When the defendant hung up, Mr Saunders tried to call him back before texting him to say, "If there's something you want to say, speak up."

Harris Snr replied "Don't worry. I'll catch up soon" and, when Mr Saunders phoned him again, he (Harris Snr) became abusive and called him "a grass".

This prompted the victim to respond "I'm not a grass. If you want to talk to me, come and see me."

Having asked where Mr Saunders was working that day, Harris Snr then drove his Berlingo van, accompanied by his son, to the site.

"Mr Harris Snr clearly decided he would go there but obviously not to talk," Mr Forbes told the court.

They arrived within 10 minutes of that last call and, as Mr Saunders walked slowly towards them, father and son immediately decamped from the vehicle.

"Mr Saunders described Mr Harris Snr as looking very angry, as if he wanted a fight," continued the prosecutor.

"Mr Harris Snr said 'You're a fat, f***ing ****. You grassed on me', to which the complainant replied 'You're talking s**t. All I said was you went to Winter Wonderland.'

"But Mr Harris Snr hit him in the face to the right eye. They then started wrestling and went to the ground."

Describing how Harris Jnr quickly joined in, Mr Forbes told the court: "He had a bottle in his hand and tried to hit Mr Saunders.

"He thought initially Mr Harris Jnr had missed, threw him to the ground and continued wrestling with his father.

"Mr Harris Jnr stood up and smashed Mr Saunders over the back of the head with the bottle and continued to use it as a weapon, stabbing at him and thrusting the broken bottle, hitting him in the stomach.

"He felt a stab under his left armpit and it was clear he was attempting to deal with two men attacking him."

Other workmen came running over, telling Harris Snr to get in his van while Mr Saunders let go of Harris Jnr's hands.

The pair then drove off and police were called. The victim was left with a number of slash and stab injuries which, said the prosecutor, were "thankfully not, in the scheme of things, that serious".

Harris Jnr was arrested that day and, seemingly unrepentant, told officers: "F***ing grass. I'll do it again next time I see him."

However, he later claimed he was drunk and could not remember what he said or meant.

He also denied any involvement in the violence, said he had been at home and did not know Mr Saunders.

The court heard the teenager even denied it was him in CCTV footage of the incident, telling police his dad had "other sons".

Harris Snr handed himself in to police the next day and, although he admitted being involved, claimed to have acted in self-defence, suggesting Mr Saunders had been the one "organising or initiating" a fight.

He also told police his son was "harmless" and only present because they had been working together.

All I want is to see my family happy again and not to worry every time we go out the house…

The victim later gave two impact statements in which he detailed the emotional, physical and financial consequences to himself, his partner and their children.

"We are usually a happy family but since this incident my mental health has taken a turn. I'm normally a positive person but all I'm thinking is that this could have been a lot worse," he wrote.

"I'm struggling with anxiety and all I can think of is the safety of my family."

Mr Saunders also revealed he had had to lie to his children about his injuries because "I don't want them to worry or be scared to go out".

The self-employed builder, who was unable to work for two weeks, said the armpit injury in particular had restricted his movements. He was also subsequently diagnosed with health issues and suffered flashbacks.

Describing the reason he was attacked as being "so minor", Mr Saunders said: "All I want is to see my family happy again and not to worry every time we go out the house and have to look over our shoulders all the time."

The court heard he had also decided not to attend the sentencing hearing as he did not want to put himself or his family "through any more stress".

Harris Snr, of Ethelbert Road, Folkestone, and his son, of Wood Avenue, Folkestone, initially pleaded not guilty to wounding with intent at a hearing in January last year.

But Harris Jnr, who also denied possessing an offensive weapon, later admitted both charges at a further hearing in June.

It was in January this year that the prosecution accepted a guilty plea from Harris Snr, who has numerous previous convictions for assaulting police and criminal damage, to the alternative and less serious offence of wounding.

Neither of you showed any remorse in the immediate aftermath…

At their sentencing hearing it was revealed that while on court bail for over a year, Harris Jnr had breached his tagged curfew condition on several occasions, and also picked up convictions for possessing cannabis and criminal damage.

Defending the now 19-year-old, lawyer Phil Rowley said such a curfew for that period of time would have been a "challenging requirement" for anyone, let alone someone of his age.

But in urging the teenager be spared custody, he told the court that his client had not only had "the fortitude to reflect, develop and admit" his guilt but had also "progressed and matured" since the assault.

Furthermore, said Mr Rowley, he was not responsible for the dispute with Mr Saunders, the decision to head to the site or for initiating the violence, and would be vulnerable within a prison environment.

"His own conduct was plainly deplorable but you may feel it was, in part, attributable to a youthful and immature misunderstanding, pursuing a loyalty to his father and feeling he was assisting his father in some way in his endeavour," he added.

Donna Longcroft, defending Harris Snr, said he now accepted he was wrong in his belief that he had been slighted by the victim, and was "incredibly sorry" for his "entirely inappropriate and unforgivable" reaction.

But in describing the attack as "a grapple that got out of hand" - a submission disputed by the prosecution - she added there was "no love lost" between Mr Saunders and her client.

Explaining how Harris Snr had experienced domestic violence as a child, Ms Longcroft said: "He grew up in a household where violent resolution was perpetuated and, in an incident where he felt slighted and a need to protect himself or exert himself, that has leaked out."

The court also heard that the dad of two, whose youngest son is eight and has special needs, lost his work contract as a result of the assault and has since accrued debts of £16,000.

Urging that Harris Snr be spared prison, Ms Longcroft explained that before the assault on Mr Saunders, he had not been convicted since 2014.

"A suspended sentence is one that makes more pragmatic sense and allows him the opportunity to recompense society and to show he is not someone who is going to be re-appearing before the courts in the near or distant future," she added.

On deciding the appropriate punishments, Judge Edmund Fowler said Harris Snr's attitude to his offending and lack of empathy had been "challenging" on the issue of whether he could be spared custody.

But, in acknowledging the adverse impact immediate imprisonment would have on his youngest son, he agreed he could suspend a 21-month jail term for two years.

It was not possible for Harris Jnr, however, to share the same fate, despite his personal mitigation of youth, mental health issues, lack of previous convictions and good work ethic.

Imposing a sentence of 28 months detention in a young offenders' institution, Judge Fowler told both father and son: "This was a premeditated and highly violent attack by the two of you and it is clear the intention was to cause harm to Mr Saunders.

"You started it all, Harris Snr, and you took your son for support. You, Harris Jnr, then joined in immediately with a bottle.

"The fact you continued to use it when it was broken shows your intention and neither of you showed any remorse in the immediate aftermath."

As conditions of his sentence, Harris Snr must complete 150 hours of unpaid work and 10 rehabilitation activity requirements.

Both were also handed a five-year restraining order in respect of their victim and his family.

But, after the judge had risen and Harris Jnr was led from the dock to the cells, his father was heard complaining "It's f***ing ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous" as he left the courtroom.