Chesterfield man “attacked” fridge with an axe during fallout with neighbour

Troy Banner, 28, also “attacked” the discarded white goods item with a baseball bat, Derby Crown Court heard.

Phillip Plant, prosecuting, described how earlier during the same incident - on December 22 last year - Banner had harangued his fellow householder by playing loud music while repeatedly yelling “I’m going to kill you” for “two to three hours”.

The “concerned” victim called police when he saw Banner outside the premises with an axe and the defendant was tasered and taken into custody.

Mr Plant said Banner’s victim had lived above him for two years, however, a month before the fridge incident - on November 27 - his behaviour became “strange”.

He said: “They were in the (victim’s) flat together when the defendant started leaning out of the window shouting obscenities.

“He produced a knife and said ‘I’m going to go for your jugular - I’m going to kill you’.”

The court heard Banner then “lunged” towards his neighbour, who tried to restrain him, however he was uninjured and the defendant left the flat.

Banner’s defence barrister Emma Coverley said he and the complainant had previously been good friends and the disagreement “exploded over a very short period of time”.

She added that Banner was “apologetic” when police attended and had written a letter of apology to his victim.

Although he had previous convictions the defendant had not been in trouble since 2009.

Banner, of Talbot Crescent, Hasland, but already remanded into prison, admitted harassment, possession of a bladed article and common assault.

Judge Shaun Smith QC told him: “What you did was not unacceptable - you’re somebody who, by and large, has led a law-abiding life.”

The judge noted Banner’s victim had not reported his behaviour to police until he “got an axe out and started whacking a fridge” - which was a “wholly different thing”.

“As a result of that you’ve ended up in prison”, added Judge Smith.

Banner was jailed for eight months, however, having already served most of the custody period of his sentence on remand he was told he would be released in around 10 days.

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