A MAN who suspected a neighbour may have been seeing his girlfriend went armed with a knife in a bid to attack him in his own home, a court was told.

But would-be assailant Taruk David Todd, then aged 19, was repelled by the shocked householder, who managed to fight him off, before he was relieved of the knife with the help of other neighbours.

Durham Crown Court was told Todd was not to be put off, however, returning to the intended victim’s house, across the road from his own home, a short time later, this time armed with a metal pole.

Todd was not allowed into the premises on the second ‘visit’ and, so, used the pole to smash the front window, while making more threats to the householder.

He was arrested, despite struggling both at the scene and on arrival at a police station, where he tried to head butt an officer in the face.

The events in Arthur Street, Chilton, on the morning of Saturday June 20, have resulted in the defendant, now 20, being jailed for six years.

Although he made no comment when questioned by police about the incidents later on the day of arrest, on June 20, he admitted charges of aggravated burglary, possessing an offensive weapon in public, causing an affray and assaulting an emergency worker, when he appeared at the court, for a plea hearing on July 23.

Judge James Adkin adjourned sentencing Tod to allow for preparation of background reports by the Probation Service and a psychiatrist.

The defendant, who was bailed to an address at Windsor Court, Croxdale, returned to court for the sentencing hearing.

Anne Richardson, prosecuting, said the intended victim heard a loud bang coming from downstairs at 7am that day and went down to open the door to find Todd outside, holding a knife with a blade of up between 4 and 6ins length.

He pointed the knife at the householder, stepped into the property and lunged towards his head with the blade.

Miss Richardson said the complainant managed to punch him to the head, in defence, and push him out of the house, closing the door.

Todd kicked out a window, returned to his home and came back with the metal pole, where he smashed the front window.

When police arrived and arrested the obstructive defendant, the knife was recovered, having been picked up by a member of the public and dropped down a drain.

Todd tried to explain the later lunge at a police officer, in what was described as an attempted head butt, as a stumble rather than an aggressive gesture.

The court heard he has convictions on his record as a youth for common assault, in 2017 and 2018, including attacking a police officer.

Mark Styles, mitigating, said Todd’s actions that day were brought on by his belief, whether rightly or wrongly, that someone in the house across the road had been in a relationship with his girlfriend.

Jailing him, Judge Adkins said it would have been 12 years if it was a group attack and nine-years if Todd had contested the case at trial.

But he reduced the length by three months because of his guilty pleas.

A restraining order was put in place prohibiting him from contacting his ex-neighbour, indefinitely.