It wasn't the sins of the father but the son that led to trouble for a family in the capital’s Sen Sok district on Friday.

Police said the teen, friends with a group of “gangsters”, had gotten into a row over the phone with one of them.

Enraged, gangster number one quickly enlisted nine friends for a sortie to the victim’s home, where the thugs beat up not only the son, but the parents who rushed to his aid.

All three are now in hospital, though police say they know the culprits and they will soon be caught. DEUM AMPIL