Convicted killer who tipped boiling water over friend told 999 operator: "He wound me up"

A CONVICTED killer who poured a kettle of boiling water over his friend told the 999 operator he rang for help: “He wound me up too much”.

After hurling scalding water over the man’s back, leaving him in “agony”, Anthony McCall called the emergency number and told the dispatcher: “I’ve had a bit of a hoo-hah – I was threatened, I did not like it, so I boiled the kettle and threw it at him.”

McCall (62), of Hartington Close, Rotherham, was jailed today (Friday) for nine months after admitting assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Sheffield Crown Court heard he had mental health issues and had battled alcoholism for decades.

McCall was jailed in 2014 for manslaughter after an attack at Swinburne Place, Herringthorpe, where he used a broken bottle to stab his partner, who later died in hospital from blood loss.

Released from prison in April 2019, he was homeless for a while, before finding accommodation in August.

And only two months later, prosecutor Ms Holly Clegg told the court, he carried out the boiling water attack.

Ms Clegg said a caller identified as McCall had dialled 999 at 10.30pm on October 3 and told how the “hoo-hah” had led to him boiling the kettle and pouring hot water over his victim’s back, buttocks and legs.

She added: “The complainant had ‘wound the caller up too much.’

“The caller said he had told him (the victim) to shut up but he wouldn’t listen.”

The court heard the victim, who could be heard “crying and moaning” in the background, had been dizzy and had vomited.

Police arriving at the property found the victim in “agony”, with burns across his back, buttocks and legs.

The victim had not wanted to press charges because McCall was a “family friend”, said Ms Clegg, but McCall had been prosecuted.

The court heard that as well as the manslaughter conviction, McCall had been cautioned twice in the past for assault in relation to domestic incidents.

Mr Dermot Hughes, mitigating, said McCall had suffered from a serious of problems, including mental health issues and battling the “curse of drink”.

He said McCall, who had seen some success in tackling his drink problem, had not been offered any rehabilitation courses while in prison.

McCall’s health was “failing” and he was awaiting surgery for a double hernia, Mr Hughes said, noting that the victim had not wanted to press charges and highlighting a report which said the burns were not “life threatening”.

Mr Hughes said: “He (McCall) is a prime candidate for rehabilitation.”

Recorder David Kelly said McCall was prone to “alarming bursts of temper and sometimes premeditated harm”.