A HEAVILY intoxicated man barricaded himself into his ex-partner’s bedroom threatening to kill her, in a prolonged stand-off with police.

Liam David Moore was jailed for five years for the “sustained” attack, during which he was variously armed with a knife and screw driver, telling police outside he would stab the terrified woman if they entered, while also threatening to take his own life as well.

Newcastle Crown Court heard he told the officers outside the only way he and his then partner would be leaving the room would be, “in body bags.”

Jolyon Perks, prosecuting, said the incident began after Moore and his partner, accompanied by his sister, had been on a night out into the early hours of Saturday June 12.

After getting back to her home, in Horden, both extremely inebriated, they rowed and his partner told Moore she did not want to be with him any more, as they were going to bed, between 4 and 5am.

Mr Perks said Moore responded by pushing her backwards onto the bed and choking her to the point where she could not breathe, believing she actually lost consciousness briefly.

During the ensuing incident Moore’s sister and the baby sitter tried unsuccessfully to pull him from the victim, but he barricaded himself and the complainant into the bedroom.

He took the knife, dropped by one of the other women, and used it to injure himself, stabbing his forehead, and when it was taken from him, he picked up a screw driver.

Mr Perks said with police by then present, with trained negotiators, there was a lengthy period during which Moore continued to threaten to take both his and his partner’s life, before the effects of the drink and drugs he had taken began to wear off.

He reached the point when he said he did not want to harm his partner anymore and he discarded the knife before being arrested.

Moore made no reply in interview and was charged with attempted murder.

When the 27-year-old, of Front Street, Hetton-le-Hole, admitted a subsequent charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm, plus false imprisonment and two counts of making threats to kill. the prosecution agreed not to proceed with the attempted murder allegation.

Martin Scarborough, mitigating, said there was a background to their relationship coming to an end and, in the state of heavy intoxication, Moore, “just lost it and behaved in this appalling manner”, before eventually coming to his senses.

Sentencing him, Judge Stephen Earl said he accepted Moore has since shown, “genuine remorse”, but made him subject of a five-year restraining order prohibiting contact or approaches to his former partner.

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