AN Elton John tribute act has been cleared of attempted murder but jailed for grievous bodily harm after a knife attack on his parents.

Mark Ruck, who claims to have made television appearances while performing as the popstar, was found not guilty of the attempted murder of his father at Worcester Crown Court on Friday.

The jury had been out five hours and 30 minutes when they returned a not guilty verdict by majority.

The 43-year-old had already admitted grievous bodily harm with intent against his 72-year-old father, Michael, and grievous bodily harm against his 70 year-old mother, Bedelia, during the attack at the home they shared at Escley Drive, Redhill, Hereford on September 6 last year.

As previously reported Ruck had bought the former council home with his parents but the defendant had taken out a second mortgage without his father’s knowledge and had debts topping £23,000.

Ruck had wanted to sell the family home to raise money to take a paramedics course.

Robert Price, prosecuting, said Ruck had called his crying mum ‘pathetic’ when she said she did not want to sell the house. He also threatened to burn it down with them inside it and said 'I will kill both of you'.

Shortly afterwards her son appeared in her room with a lock knife he had acquired while serving in the army.

As Mrs Ruck went to warn her husband, Ruck stabbed her recklessly while she was on the stairs, causing a cut on her arm.

From there he went to the shed and confronted his father, stabbing him three times, the knife striking his forehead and just above the ear.

His father took down a machete from the wall before a neighbour arrived, calming the situation.

It was acknowledged that the injuries caused to Mrs Ruck were ‘reckless’ rather than intentional in that he had been struggling with her while holding the lock knife.

Mr Ruck wanted a restraining order to stop his son having contact with him but Mrs Ruck did not want a restraining order preventing contact with her son.

Mark Thompson, prosecuting, said Ruck had acknowledged not only the physical harm his father had suffered.

He said: “He was shocked when he saw his father in court. That shock and remorse has been present since these proceedings began. Your honour has a letter from the defendant.

“There is going to be financial hardship for his mum and dad. It won’t be catastrophic in my submission but it will be felt. It was a moment of utter madness. He has never been violent before. This came out of the blue for everyone. This is a man who acted entirely out of character for a matter of seconds.”

Mr Thompson also said his client had been in custody since he was remanded in September. He also stressed that Ruck had stopped his attack ‘very quickly’ and that he was not considered by a psychiatrist to be dangerous.

Judge Robert Juckes QC said the physical harm Ruck had caused was ‘slight’ but this was only by a miracle.

He said Ruck was entitled to full credit for his early guilty pleas to the section 18 grievous bodily harm and section 20 grievous bodily harm.

He said: “The gulf that appears to exist between the man you have been most of your life and the man you became is extremely hard to explain.

“It may be that your use of alcohol in the years and months leading up to what took place had got out of your control without you realising it.”

He said Ruck’s desire to better himself may have led to a state of mind that was ‘completely removed from reality’ and said the defendant’s reaction to his parents not wanting to sell the home where they had lived for 40 years was ‘inexplicable’.

The judge said it was a matter of good fortune that the three stab wounds to his father’s head went no further than the skin but said there had also been psychological injury, particularly to his father.

He also said there had been some degree of ‘posturing’ by the defendant which was reflected on CCTV footage and took into consideration Ruck’s previous good character.

Ruck was jailed for five years for the section 18 grievous bodily harm against his father, 12 months concurrent for the section 20 grievous bodily harm against his mother and nine months concurrent for possession of the bladed article.

A victim surcharge will also have to be paid in due course. A restraining order was granted in relation to Ruck's father, preventing him from having any contact with him directly or indirectly.