Before David Andrew Cecil was sentenced to six years in prison for child abuse on Tuesday, he took the time to explain to his son why he forced him to stand outside in near-freezing temperatures wearing only his underwear while his dad threw buckets of cold water on him.His excuse: My blood sugar was high.The Oregonian

reports that Cecil’s 11-year-old son Montgomery Johnston took the stand in the sentencing portion of the hearing after his father pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment.”I came here to ask one thing of my dad,” said Montgomery, his voice slightly quivering. “Why?”

In response, Cecil apparently blamed his actions on a “diabetic issue,” saying his blood-sugar level at the time clouded his judgment. The abuse itself occurred on a cold evening on Nov. 22.Cecil, upset with his son’s school grades, ordered him to strip down to his underwear and stand outside on the porch of their Hillsboro, Ore., home. Every 10 minutes or so, Cecil would then throw a bucket of cold water on his son.At one point he put a pointed a large box fan at the boy to further his misery. He also choked him and beat him with a wooden two-by-four.Back in court, after trying to excuse his actions with the blood-sugar response, Cecil reportedly told his son “I love you.”Then he was led off to begin his six-year sentence in prison.Follow The Daily Weekly on Facebook and Twitter.