A HAMMER-wielding man has been ordered to stay away from three people in the town after he got into a drunken argument over Facebook with another man and threatened to “cripple” him.

Wayne Phillips was seen shouting and “swinging the hammer” at Alan Williams in the Lugg View area of Presteigne on the evening of January 7 this year.

The 44-year-old had gone to the estate where Mr Williams lived after getting into a verbal altercation over Facebook Messenger with his partner – telling her he didn’t care if he went back to prison.

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At Llandrindod Wells Magistrates’ Court this week, Phillips, of Clatterbrune, Presteigne, admitted one charge of threatening behaviour.

The court heard that Phillips had suffered a “difficult” five years, including a number of personal tragedies.

Prosecutor Stephen Davies said there were three victims in total, including Mr Williams, Nichola Whiffen and Amanda Carpenter.

“It was around 9.30pm when Nichola Whiffen received two Facebook messenger messages from the defendant asking about Alan Williams, who is also known as ‘Barry’, who sometimes lives with her,” Mr Davies told a hearing on Wednesday, March 1.

“The defendant told her ‘I don’t care, I’ll go back to prison, I’ll cripple him’, and he asked to come to the house so he could introduce himself.

“Later, as Alan Williams was outside in Lugg View, he heard the defendant shouting his name, he was waving a hammer around his head. He pointed it at him. He feared for his life and ran back in the house.”

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Mr Davies said Amanda Carpenter heard a knock at the door around 9.15pm and chatted briefly to the defendant.

“She then heard him shout ‘Barry’ and saw Alan Williams running back into his house,” he said.

“She saw a hammer in Wayne Phillips’ hand. He was near her, shouting and swinging the hammer. The defendant argued with a male then made off from the same."

Owain Jones, representing Phillips, said his client had been suffering with his mental health in recent years.

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“He and Alan Williams were messaging each other, they were goading each other for a confrontation," he said. 

"He knows it was unacceptable to go there. He is remorseful and apologetic.

“He would not have behaved this way had he not consumed alcohol. It would not have worked well with the medication he’s on."

A pre-sentence report was carried out, with probation officer Harriet Beer-Doblon explaining that a previous interaction with Mr Williams several months ago had led to this incident, according to Phillips.

"He did not intend using the hammer on anyone, he just brought it if he needed to protect himself," she said.

Magistrates imposed a restraining order lasting 12 months to protect each of the three victims, and gave Phillips a 12-month community order, with a 12-week overnight curfew.

He must pay a £114 surcharge and £85 costs.