A troubled man who assaulted his sister, threatened her with a hammer, and killed her cat as he tried to exert control over her life has walked free from court.

Nabeel Maqsood moved in with his sister after he was kicked out of his house and started to call her abusive names and demanding to know she was at all times.

His behaviour became increasingly erratic and he punched her in the face when she returned home from a night out with her friend on September 30 last year.

The defendant’s sister was initially scared to report his controlling behaviour to police due to the impact it could have on her entire family but was supported by her father when she eventually spoke out.

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Nigel Soppitt, prosecuting, said the defendant started calling his sister a ‘sl**’ and demanded she come home whenever she went as he started to treat her home like his own.

He said: “He told her he would throw her kitten out of the window and he said his dogs had killed the kitten. We don’t what happened to the kitten but it did die.”

Mr Soppitt said on one occasion the defendant’s controlling behaviour became violent when he punched her, pinned her to the bed, and held a hammer over her head threatening to batter her with it.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the 45-year-old is still struggling to come to terms with the death of his wife and two children in a house fire in 2003 and had turned to drink and drugs to cope with his loss.

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Maqsood, of Yarm Road, Stockton, was found guilty of assault and engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour between July 14 and October 10, last year, when he failed to appear at Teesside Magistrates’ Court for his trial.

Kelleigh Lodge, mitigating, said her client had never really been able to cope with the loss of wife and children and he has realised that he needs to address his drink and drug problem.

Recorder Aisha Wadoodi said: “You have managed to wean yourself off alcohol and drugs, you have done everything you could do to clean up your behaviour.

She sentenced Maqsood to a 12-month community order and ordered to attend 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days and fulfil a 12-month drug rehabilitation requirement order.