A man subjected a neighbour to two hours of shouted drunken threats and abuse which included threatening to burn her flat down, a court has heard.
When police arrived on the scene James Murphy claimed the allegations had been made up by people who hated him.
It was the second time police had been called to deal with the defendant's behaviour and a judge asked him if he had ever heard the expression "a neighbour from hell".
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Brian Simpson, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court the first incident took place in June last year when an intoxicated Murphy was seen swigging cans of Stella lager in his front garden and kicking and shouting at his dog. When people in the street told him to stop he turned his ire on them and began swearing at them before arming himself with a hammer and challenging them to a fight. Police were called and 45-year-old Murphy was arrested.
The court heard the defendant was still on bail for that disturbance when the second incident happened in January this year. The prosecutor said the defendant was again drunk in his garden, this time drinking a bottle of whisky and stumbling around. The court heard he subjected a neighbour to two hours of shouted drunken abuse which included threats to burn her flat down. Mr Simpson said as the tirade went on the defendant's shouting became increasingly incoherent and his voice more hoarse.
Murphy was again arrested and told police he had begun drinking Stella that morning before moving on to whisky but he denied the allegations and said they had been made up by people who hated him.
James Christian Murphy, of Heol Maes-y-Cerrig, Loughor, Swansea, admitted affray, making threats to damage property, and a public order offence. He has 38 previous convictions for 95 offences including assault occasioning actual bodily harm and inflicting grievous bodily harm – both these assaults committed on partners – as well as public order offences, being drunk and disorderly, and breaching a restraining order.
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Andrew Evans, for Murphy, said the defendant had battled alcoholism for most of his adult life as his father before him had. He said his client needed to address issues from his childhood so he would be less likely to turn to drink as a crutch and he said Murphy was concerned that if he were sent straight to prison he would lose his home – though he acknowledged that the council may have its own views on whether the defendant was a suitable tenant for the property. The advocate invited the court to pass a sentence which would allow the defendant to engage with rehabilitation services.
Judge Geraint Walters asked the defendant if he had ever heard the expression "a neighbour from hell" and asked whether he had ever considered what it must be like for those living around him. He said he was going to impose the most intensive alternative to custody that he could in the hope it would be possible to "break this vicious cycle" of alcohol and offending.
With discounts for his guilty pleas Murphy was sentenced to 14 months in prison suspended for two years and was made the subject of a mental health treatment requirement, an alcohol treatment requirement, and a rehabilitation programme.
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