A brave neighbour fought off a hammer-wielding thug after he heard someone scream "I'll smash your head in".
Mark Griffiths swung the weapon and loudly kicked the front door of a home after arriving there armed and unannounced.
The 53-year-old, from St Helens, launched his attack at the home on Poplar Avenue at around 10.45am on July 27 last year.
Homeowner Michael Chadwick, and his partner, were upstairs in their home when they heard two men at the front door of their home in Ashton-in-Makerfield.
As Mr Chadwick looked out his window, he saw Griffiths with a hammer and another man.
One of the men at the front door screamed "get out of your f***ing house. I'm going to smash your head in."
Simon Duncan, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court: "Mr Chadwick, not the shy retiring type, was concerned that the kicking would cause damage so went downstairs and opened the door.
“The two men tried to force their way in but Mr Chadwick used his shoulder against the door to stop them.
“Mr Chadwick pushed the males away from the door and stepped outside.
"At that point the defendant pulled out a hammer from his shorts and swung it at Mr Chadwick narrowly missing his head.
"He stepped back and punched the defendant in the face who fell to the ground.”
Griffiths' companion then tried to attack Mr Chadwick.
It was this point a brave neighbour stepped in and stopped him. A fight then broke out.
Both men left after the neighbour said he had called the police.
A short time later, police arrived and stopped Griffiths and his companion in a taxi.
The pair were then arrested but the hammer was not recovered.
In an interview, Griffiths, of Phoenix Brow in St Helens , claimed that his companion’s son had been verbally abused and he went to the property with his friend for moral support.
Mr Duncan added: “He accepted there was an argument with the couple but denied having been in possession of a hammer."
Griffiths later pleaded guilty to being in possession of an offensive weapon.
Griffiths, who appeared via video link, has 32 convictions for 42 previous offences including wounding and threats to kill.
Judge Neil Flewitt QC sentenced him to a total of nine months imprisonment and said that he regarded swinging the hammer at Mr Chadwick was an aggravating feature of the case.
He said: "Mr Chadwick, a man of some fortitude, managed to repel the attack being made against him but that does not minimise the seriousness of your offence.
Lloyd Morgan, defending, said that the defendant had been in the grip of alcohol and drugs but since being imprisoned has taken positive steps to rehabilitate himself.
He said: "He is now a completely different man.”
He has mental health issues but is no longer on medication and has expressed genuine remorse for his behaviour, he added.
