Corby man frustrated at 'noisy neighbour' said 'I'm getting a hammer, you're dead'

Callum Miller, of Clarendon Close, Little Stanion, Corby, was confronted by his neighbour who thought he’d been talking about her, but he reacted in a way that was ‘disproportionate’.

The 53-year-old admitted one charge of common assault when he appeared before Northampton Magistrates Court early last month.

He was back before District Judge Amar Mehta on September 29 for sentence.

The court heard how, on August 4 this year, Miller’s neighbour knocked on his door after she heard he had allegedly been talking about her behind her back.

Prosecuting, Leanne Ashcroft told the court how Miller denied it, then lost his temper.

"He then got in her face,” said Ms Ashcroft, “and she got her phone out before he knocked it out of her hand and grabbed the side of her neck.”

A member of the public intervened to help the woman and Miller was heard to shout: “I’m getting a hammer, you’re dead.”

He later said he was using it as a scare tactic. Children were present on the scene while the incident was happening.

Miller, carer for two people, has 31 previous convictions including a battery from 2016. The court heard how he had previously complained about noise coming from his neighbour’s property which was having a detrimental effect on his autistic son and this incident was borne of ‘frustration’.

District Judge Amar Mehta said: “There’s frustration on your part at recurrent noise coming from next door.

"But she must have been terrified. Your actions were totally out of control and disproportionate to what was happening.”

He was fined £300 and ordered to pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £120.