A man who repeatedly stabbed a stranger’s door causing thousands of pounds worth of damage has been sentenced.

Neil Wilson, 44, of Briarswood Court, Liden Drive, pleaded guilty to criminal damage and possession of a knife in a public place at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on November 29.

Ms Winters, prosecuting, explained that officers had been given CCTV footage by Sovereign Housing Association showing Wilson from May 9 to May 12 going back to the address and behaving in an anti-social manner.

He was seen repeatedly banging the letterbox, ringing the doorbell and trying to shout inside the flat, leaving when nobody came to the door and returning later to carry on banging on the door.

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Around 45 minutes later, Wilson pulled a four-inch knife and stabbed the door several times, causing scratch marks and visible damage totalling £2365.20.

During his police interview, he admitted it was him in the footage but said he was not speaking to anyone in particular when he was shouting outside the flat and believed nobody was home, but appreciated that if there was someone inside the property, they would be frightened.

In mitigation, Mr Glendenning, defending, explained Wilson had been at a friend’s funeral and consumed alcohol prior to the incident, leading to a “degree of heightened emotion.”

Wilson was said to be having a mental health crisis at the time and he was “crying out for help”, but he cannot understand why he went to the address and it must have been something “in the back of his mind that triggered him.”

Additionally, the court heard Wilson had a previous similar conviction for being in possession of a rolling pin in a public place in 2021, but Mr Glendenning said he was “simply in possession” of the weapon and did not use it.

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At the time, his defence, Mr Jameson, said Wilson had the baking implement in Eldene Morrisons because he was scared of a drug gang. He was given a 12 month community order, 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days and fined £120.

For his most recent offence, Wilson was sentenced to a five-month custodial sentence suspended for 12 months and must pay £700 compensation for the damage to the door. He must also pay a surcharge of £154 and prosecution costs of £85, totalling £935.

The Magistrate told him the bench had come to that decision based on his “realistic possibility of rehabilitation” and ordered Wilson to complete a mental health treatment programme.

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