A man went to put rubbish in his bin – and ended up being attacked by a neighbour.
John Haley tried repeatedly to strike his victim with a pole before being disarmed.
Haley, 40, appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court and admitted assaulting his neighbour on April 3 last year.
He also admitted smashing a glass panel in the door of the neighbour's flat in Windmillhill Street, Motherwell.
Paula Wedlock, prosecuting, said: "The victim was on his way back to the flat after putting packaging in an outside bin.
"He was met by a female (Haley's partner) in the common close and an argument started.
"The man's partner came out to see what was happening and Haley came out of his flat holding a blue pole.
"He tried repeatedly to strike his neighbour who eventually managed to grab it from him.
"The accused then tried to get into the victim's flat where the couple's three children were present.
"The victim and his partner pushed the door closed then Haley picked up an unknown object and struck the glass panel with it."
Defence agent Eddie Robertson admitted his client had "overreacted" to the heated situation in the close.
The solicitor added: "My client has suffered physically and mentally through being the victim of an attempted murder in 2004.
"He was stabbed eight times and remains of a nervous disposition.
"There is no violence on his record and I suggest what happened here is slightly out of character."
Sentence on Haley, now of Woodside Walk, Hamilton, was deferred until next month for a criminal justice social work report.
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