A dad has been arrested for killing his own son, 7, by stabbing him in the throat and then driving over to his estranged wife and stabbing her multiple times.

Davide Paitoni, 40, reportedly threatened to kill himself with a knife in hand when he was surrounded by cops in the comune of Viggiu in the Italian province of Varese.

However, the officers managed to arrest him without incident on the morning of 2nd January, and he is now in preventive custody in the provincial capital Varese.

He had gone to his in-laws’ house in the comune of Gazzada Schianno, also in Varese Province, ostensibly to drop off his son, even though the boy was probably already dead by that point.

He had been granted permission to spend New Year’s Eve with the youngster. However, when he turned up the following day, the boy’s mother saw he had arrived empty-handed.

He then launched into an unprovoked attack on the woman, from whom he was in the process of separating, stabbing her multiple times before fleeing the scene.

It transpired he had earlier dazed his own son before strangling him and stabbing him in the throat.

The youngster’s dead body would later be found inside a wardrobe at the dad’s house in the comune of Morazzone, also in Varese Province.

A note was reportedly found on the boy’s corpse reading “I’m sorry, forgive me, dad”, and he had also sent his father an audio message saying “Do not open the wardrobe”.

The injuries sustained by the boy’s mother were superficial, and her life is not in danger, according to local reports.

The boy’s father was known for his violent temper, and he was actually under house arrest for having attempted to kill a work colleague in November.

The man was estranged from his wife, and they had been battling for custody of their son, according to local reports.

Both parties’ lawyers had come to an agreement that the boy would spend New Year’s Eve with his dad, even though the maternal grandparents did not agree with the decision.

According to local reports, the elderly couple feared for the boy’s safety because the man had allegedly been violent towards their daughter.

One such alleged incident led the woman to report her husband to the police three years ago. However, there are said to have been further unreported instances over the years.

According to local reports, the man would often get into violent quarrels with his wife, especially when he was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

In fact, when he was arrested on Sunday, cocaine was reportedly found in his car, though it is yet to be ascertained if he was under the influence when he committed the alleged crime.

Also in the man’s criminal record were instances of drink driving.

The investigation into the latest alleged crimes is ongoing.