A dispute over loud music led a man to break his neighbour's door down with an axe and threaten to kill him, a court has heard.
Dean Williams, 57, from Port Talbot, smashed the door with the weapon before urging the victim to come out of the property to face him.
Swansea Crown Court was told that noise coming from Williams’ flat had created ongoing issues between the neighbours, with his victim unable to get any sleep the night before the attack due to the loud volume of music.
Prosecutor Sian Cutter explained the victim lived in the flat above Williams in the Sandfields area of Port Talbot, and that he had been having issues with loud music coming from the defendant's flat "for some time".
She said that the following day, the victim made a complaint.
Cutter said that when the 57-year-old became aware a complaint had been made, he was heard shouting: "Who? Him upstairs? I'll kill him."
The defendant then stormed up the stairs.
Cutter said the victim, who was in his flat, heard a "loud smashing noise" coming from his front door.
SOUTH WALES POL
|Dean Williams smashed his neighbour’s front door with an axe, before urging the victim to come out of the property to face him
When he went to check what was happening, he saw a smashed pane of glass - and through it, his neighbour standing in the hallway holding an axe and shouting: "Come out here! I'll kill you!"
The prosecutor said Williams "appeared to be under the influence of something".
The court heard an impact statement from the victim, in which he said he had been "terrified that something would happen" and had been waiting for it.
The cost of Williams's damage to his neighbour's flat was between £400 to £500, the court was told.
MORE NEIGHBOUR ROWS:
GETTY
|Williams was jailed at Swansea Crown Court
Williams had earlier pleaded guilty to threatening with a bladed article and to criminal damage, while a count of making threats to kill was abandoned.
The court was told that the 57-year-old has 19 previous convictions for 32 offences which include battery, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and possession of a bladed article.
Stuart John, for Williams, said the defendant had little or no recollection of the events of the evening, but he did admit there had been "ongoing issues about noise".
He added that the consumption of too much alcohol had marked his client's life so far, and that he was keen to make a change.
Judge Catherine Richards said she had come to the conclusion that there was no realistic prospect of rehabilitation at the current time, given the defendant’s past convictions and the failure of previous court orders to assist Williams.
However, she did acknowledge Williams' desire to change his life around, and told him he hopes he does so.
Williams was sentenced to 21 months behind bars for his crimes.
He will serve 40 per cent of the sentence in custody before he is released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.