A man who barged his way into a neighbour's home armed with an extendable baton before assaulting and intimidating him launched the attack after the man tried to "tune" his fiancee on social media.
Harley Zackery Anton, 31, knocked on the front door of the victim's Heddon Greta home while calling his name about 9.30am on January 14.
But as the victim approached the door, according to a statement of agreed facts tendered to Newcastle Local Court, Anton and another man "charged" through.
Anton, who was armed with a golden extendable baton, chased the victim into the master bedroom, where he struck the man with his hand and waved the weapon around threatening to use it on him and calling him "scum".
The victim's wife, who was sleeping in another bedroom, woke to the chaos and began screaming for Anton to stop.
When she asked Anton why he was attacking her husband, Anton showed her picture messages to his fiancee from the victim's Snapchat account - the victim said his account had been "hacked".
Anton told the woman to stay in the spare bedroom with the other man who had barged into the house - the agreed facts say Anton's companion kept the woman calm and chatted with her while Anton, still armed and yelling, pursued the victim out the back door and to the fence.
A neighbour called police who soon arrived at the scene.
"We had a bit of a situation. Misunderstanding," Anton told the officers.
"Not a misunderstanding but ... so this dumb c--- decided he wanted to tune my missus, but he was talking to me.
"You know what, I wanted to hurt him. But I thought no, f--- it, I'll give him a chance to be honest with me."
A scuffle broke out between Anton and police as he was being arrested and, according to the agreed facts, the 31-year-old told officers he would "break your nose" as he was being processed and held at Cessnock police station.
Anton will be sentenced in Cessnock Local Court on September 11 after he pleaded guilty in Newcastle Local Court this week to possessing or using a prohibited weapon without a permit, common assault, and entering a building with intent to commit an indictable offence.
He remains on conditional bail.
