A MAN overreacted when woken by a visitor who let himself into his home, striking him across the head with a metal pole when he refused to leave, a court heard.

Lee Ebdon, who was described as being “mentally vulnerable” with high-level learning difficulties, misread the situation when the caller came in and he insisted he should leave immediately.

But the visitor tried to explain he was a long-standing friend of Ebdon’s sister, who had asked him to come over to help her move some furniture.

Durham Crown Court heard Ebdon’s sister was out at the time and, so, he tried to usher the visitor towards the door.

Sam Faulks, prosecuting, said the other man, who appeared to have been drinking, refused to leave and, at the door, crouched down so he could not be forced out of the house.

Ebdon punched him several times and when the visitor stood up, the defendant picked up a metal pole and struck him across the head.

Mr Faulks said the altercation immediately came to a halt as the visitor was obviously bleeding from a wound to the side of his head.

“In his statement, it’s not clear why he was refusing to leave, but he simply talks of being attacked.”

The victim was treated at hospital for a cut to the left side of the scalp, which was treated with surgical glue, and underwent a brain scan.

He also suffered a fractured finger on his left hand from a defensive blow suffered trying to protect his face.

Reading from the victim statement Mr Faulks said the caller at the house described events on September 20, 2017, as coming as, “a complete shock” as he only went to do a favour for Ebdon’s sister, while he had visited on several previous occasions and the doors were usually open to him.

Ebdon, 28, of Craddock Street, Spennymoor, admitted unlawful wounding.

Mr Faulks said he Ebdon is considered, “mentally vulnerable, with an impaired ability to process and absorb information”, and so the Crown had not sought to proceed with the more serious charge of wounding with intent.

The court heard he has offences dating from 2008, but the last was in 2011.

A probation report given to the court said he has “obvious mental health difficulties” and has also previously had drug misuse issues.

Andrew Finlay, mitigating, said Ebdon may have misread the situation, but, in the words of his girlfriend, “he took it too far.”

Judge Christopher Prince told Ebdon: “Yours is an unusual case in a number of respects. The prosecution has approached it in a very fair and proper manner, recognising your particular difficulties.

“You probably did misread the situation and did overreact.

“Usually, for an offence of this type by someone reading the situation correctly, they would be going straight to prison.”

But he said in Ebdon’s case, with his, “particular difficulties”, he wanted him to be subject of scrutiny for as long as possible by the Probation Service.

He, therefore, passed a three-year community order, with probation supervision and 20 rehabilitation activity days.