A Craigavon man handed a six month jail sentence for twice attacking a man’s home with a golf club, including on the day of a court appearance.
Appearing at Craigavon Magistrates Court by videolink from Maghaberry prison on Friday, 30-year-old Jonny Titmus entered a guilty plea to making a threat to kill his victim on 28 May this year.
At an earlier hearing Titmus, from Parkmore in Craigavon, had confessed to eight other offences committed against the same victim on the same date and on 15 May including criminal damage, possessing weapons and breaching a restraining order.
Opening the facts of the cases a prosecuting lawyer explained that Titmus is the ex-partner of the victim’s daughter and taking the offences in chronological order, outlined that shortly before 11pm, the victim was able to see on his doorbell camera that Titmus was there and although the defendant left, he came back a few minutes later wielding a golf club.
He used that to smash cctv security cameras and the front door said the lawyer, adding that by even being at the the address Titmus was in breach of a restraining order.
The thug was arrested that night, made full admissions and was freed on police bail to attend court two weeks later on 28 May.
Having attended court that day, Titmus was back at his victim’s house at 11pm that evening, using a can of spray paint to daub graffiti on the drive away and again armed with a golf club which he used to smash windows, cctv cameras and the front door.
In a scene reminiscent of The Shining, Titmus used the club to smash through a PVC panel of the door, shoving his head through as his terrified victim and his family stood in the front hallway and shouting that he “would have them done in.”
Titmus left the property and was arrested a short time later at his own home where he was in a “heavily intoxicated state.”
Defence solicitor Richard Monteith revealed that in addition to the two sets of offences, Titmus was also in breach of a suspended sentence for similar offences against the same victim.
“Unfortunately Mr Titmus’ coping mechanism is alcohol…but once he starts drinking his favourite drink of choice, Buckfast, things go wrong,” said the lawyer.
Imposing sentences totalling six months, District Judge Bernie Kelly told Titmus that “harassing the mother of your child to this extent…isn’t the way to go about getting access or contact.”
“More over, if your child was present for any of this can you imagine the level of fear that you would have instilled in them,” the judge asked rhetorically, “it’s a complete aberration of personal responsibility and shows a downright foolishness on your part.”
