A disgruntled tenant, who threatened to chop of the head of his landlord’s father before aiming a crossbow at him, has walked free from court.

Jamie Shildrick called his landlord in the early hours of morning complaining that there was a water leak in his Middlesbrough home.

The 35-year-old seemed agitated and under the influence of drink or drugs at the time but his landlord arranged for her father to pop round and have a look despite the defendant being ‘abusive and belligerent’.

Teesside Crown Court heard how Shildrick became abusive when he arrived and threatened to ‘cut his head off’ before he left to get more tools to fix the problem.

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Nigel Soppitt, prosecuting, said the man returned with two of his nephews in tow and had his mobile phone hidden in his pocket making a secret call to his daughter as she was concerned for his safety.

“He said he would chop his head off and repeated it again saying he would chop his head off with a hacksaw,” he said.

“The father returned to the house with his two nephews – the defendant was holding a crossbow and was pointing it at one of the nephews who had his hands up in a conciliatory manner.”

Mr Soppitt said they managed to get out of the house but heard the defendant shouting racist abuse at them through the door.

When police arrived, they discovered the crossbow in a neighbour’s garden after the defendant had thrown it over the fence.

Shildrick, of Ormesby Road, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to affray at Teesside Magistrates’ Court at an earlier hearing.

Kelleigh Lodge, mitigating, said her client was struggling with his mental health at the time of the incident and had previously had a good relationship with his landlord.

She added: “His mental health was out of control and he is genuinely sorry for his behaviour.”

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Judge Paul Watson KC sentenced Shildrick to a ten-month sentence suspended for 18 months and ordered him to take part in a mental health programme for 12 months and attend 28 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

“You had quite a great deal to drink at the time and this was a very serious incident,” he said. “It leaves one to wonder what caused someone like yourself, who has kept out of trouble for 15 years, to behave in this way.

“Reading the pre-sentence report, it may have been caused by a significant mental health condition that you have suffered from.”