Male escort cleared of attacking teenage son

A SCOTTISH karate champion had a violent run-in with his son after the teenager discovered his father had signed up with an agency to become a male escort, a court heard.
Paul Williams arrives at courtPaul Williams arrives at court
Paul Williams arrives at court

Joss Williams, 16, told a court his heavyweight champion father grabbed him in a choke hold which left him struggling for breath.

Paul Williams said he was a trained expert in mixed martial arts and could put someone “to sleep” within ten seconds by gripping them around the neck.

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But he denied attacking his son in a clash sparked by a row over the boy’s failure to clear his plate from the dinner table and put it in the dishwasher, and was found not guilty.

Joss Williams told Perth Sheriff Court there had been a breakdown in his relationship with his father amid revelations about his work as an escort.

He said: “When he moved to Aberdeen, he joined an escort agency. My mum told me. He was quite aggressive towards me.

The teenager said he was putting plates in the dishwasher when his father flew into a rage because he did not lift his plate with others on the table.

“He got louder and louder then he grabbed me. He turned me round and put his arms round my head. He held my head between his forearms. It felt like ages.

“I was just shouting for help. I struggled to breathe. I managed to elbow him in the stomach. I called him an a******. I was pushed into the cupboard in the corner of my room. I was terrified.”

Joss Williams told the trial that he still had “bad dreams” in the wake of the incident, which had left him with friction burns.

Williams told the court there had been a physical clash with his son, but said he had only pushed him and denied he had put him into a potentially deadly choke hold.

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He said there had been tension in the family since the tragic road death of daughter Elli on the A9 and a change of job had left him with financial problems.

He said: “We were all getting along at the table. It was the first time in weeks Joss had interacted with me. For my plate to be left was a statement from Joss. I was upset.”

The court was told by Williams’ wife, Cara, that the relationship had come to an end four months before the incident, when she discovered the 42-year-old had joined the escort agency.

However, he claimed: “With her blessing, this was something we could do because of financial difficulties. I got texts from her saying I wasn’t earning enough, how are we going to eat?

“I investigated a chaperone service – non-sexual, taking ladies out and getting paid for it. There was a programme about it on TV. I have a witness who was there when Mrs Williams said this was something I could do.”

Williams, of Bridge of Don, denied assaulting his son in Auchterarder, Perthshire, on 9 July.

Concluding the case, Sheriff Derek O’Carroll said: “Having heard two competing and different accounts of what happened, I cannot say for sure which one is correct. I cannot be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt.”

Williams was found not guilty.