New images showing a Swindon man who attempted to stab his neighbours before breaking into their garden have been released.
Andrew Simango, of Swindon Road in Stratton St Margaret, claims he had been having delusions and 'hearing voices' when he started repeatedly knocking on his neighbours door to ask why they had reported him to police.
The family explained multiple times that no reports had been made.
But when Simango, 23, knocked again on April 22, 2024, and a dispute broke out leading one of the family members to punch Mr Simango, the man pulled out an eight-inch knife in retaliation.
“He swung at the claimant with the knife and the claimant was able to step back quickly and close the door," prosecutor Ms Woodman told Swindon Crown Court on November 12.
“They could hear him stabbing the front door with the knife and he then shoved it through the letterbox in an attempt to stab the claimant.
“Mr Simango then climbed into the back garden of the home. He continued stabbing the back door and was looking through the window, pressing his face to the glass.
“One woman who was in the kitchen at the time has described being extremely frightened."
In a statement, one of the family members said: “I was scared for my life. My 22-month-old daughter was upstairs asleep and she woke up due to commotion and I had to console her.”
By the time police arrived, Simango had hidden the knife, which he says he regularly carries, and it still has not been found.
CCTV footage from the police station then shows him assaulting officers after refusing to have his fingerprints taken.
Although the CCTV has not been released to the public, officers have shared Simango's mugshot.
Defence lawyer Ms Murphy suggested that the man had been experiencing "delusions" and "hearing voices" at the time of the attack.
“The start of his offending history coincides with the start of his decline in mental health. He believed the family was making reports to police about him," said Ms Murphy.
Judge Taylor has now sentenced Mr Simango to 19 months imprisonment for three counts of assaulting an emergency worker, two counts of threatening a person with a knife, two counts of criminal damage and one count of possessing a blade in a public place.
Help support trusted local news
Sign up for a digital subscription now: https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/subscribe/
As a digital subscriber, you will get:
- Unlimited access to the Swindon Advertiser website
- Advert-light access
- Reader rewards
- Full access to our app
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here