Man ‘provoked’ into attack with sledgehammer

Man ‘provoked’ into attack with sledgehammer

24 April 2019

A MAN who attacked a woman’s front door with a sledgehammer claimed he was provoked by comments she made about his dead mother, a court has been told.

Ross McMillan (19) received an enhanced combination order of 18 months’ probation and 80 hours of community service at last Thursday’s sitting of Downpatrick Court.

He admitted two charges of criminal damage and possessing an offensive weapon with intent to commit an offence. 

A prosecutor told the court that on February 16 a young woman was awoken from her sleep on her settee by loud banging and shouting at the entrance door to her flat. He said that McMillan and a co-accused were seen by the woman at her door and McMillan yelled “you are dead”.

The court was told that McMillan used the sledgehammer to damage the door and then attack a car belonging to the woman’s partner. McMillan and the other man then went round to the back of the woman’s flat and broke windows.

The prosecutor said that after the woman called for police and identified McMillan as one of the men, officers followed a trail of blood to an address where they asked the men to open up.

“They refused to open up and could be heard to build a barricade between the door,” said the barrister. “Police called in an armed response unit and when the men came out the defendant was seen with some glass in his right hand which was bleeding.”

The prosecutor added that McMillan denied threatening the woman when he was interviewed later by police.

A defence barrister acknowledged that the incident had been “terrifying” for the woman and he could not offer any “excuse or explanation” for his client other than he believed that the woman had made comments about his dead mother which greatly affected him.

District Judge Amanda Brady said: “He appears to get very emotional and aggressive but he is young and needs help to manage his thoughts and feelings.”