A man who had been drinking took an axe to a neighbour’s car.

Mark Davies, 45, smashed the windows of a BMW in a nearby car park.

A court heard Davies had also been involved in harassing his former wife’s parents who lived nearby.

Davies, of Fron Goch, off Ruabon High Street, admitted unlawfully possessing the axe as an offensive weapon and criminal damage on December 2.

He also admitted that between October 18 and December 1 he harassed his former wife’s parents by repeatedly turning up at their address and being aggressive and argumentative.

Appearing at Flintshire Magistrates Court at Mold, he received a 26 week prison sentence, suspended for a year.

He was placed on rehabilitation and must stay indoors on a tagged curfew for the next 18 weeks between 6pm and 7am.

District judge Gwyn Jones, who ordered him to pay £85 costs and a £115 surcharge, made a four year restraining order under which he is not to approach the victims in any way.

Davies must also pay £500 compensation for damage to the car.

The judge said possession of the axe was in drink.

Whatever issues he believed he had with his neighbour, he caused significant damage and a number of people were put in fear for their personal safety.

Offences when such weapons were used or threatened were ordinarily met with an immediate prison sentence, the judge said, but Davies was a man of good character with a good work ethic and it was clear alcohol had become an issue for him for some time

Prosecutor Justin Espie said the incident with the axe appeared to be an escalation of events.

He appeared to have become angry at what he believed to be a smell of cannabis in the hallway of the flats where he lived.

Davies went outside into the car park armed with an axe and damaged the windows of a neighbour’s BMW but the victim had no idea why he had been targeted.

There had been no disagreement with Davies on the day but in a statement told how 12 months earlier Davies had threatened him and left a dead pigeon on his doorstep.

He said there had also been an incident six weeks earlier when Davies tried to assault him in the car park.

“I don’t know why he seems to have an issue with me,” he said in his statement.

When officers arrived Davies was standing in the car park and was heard to comment “I will kill him.”

The harassment of his ex-wife’s parents involved Davies turning up drunk at their home and shouting, being aggressive and banging on the door and ringing the bell.

The police had been called and he had been warned to stay away but he continued to visit, causing a lot of stress.

Justine McVitie, defending, suggested a suspended sentence and said Davies had mental health issues exacerbated by alcohol.

He had reached his mid-40s without conviction, had a good work ethic and had been employed for many years as a mechanic but the loss of employment and the break-up of his marriage had taken its toll.

There had been issues at the housing association flat where he lived and he wanted to move, said Miss McVitie.

Probation officer Andrew Connah said Davies accepted he went to his former wife’s parents home in drink and believed alcohol mixed with prescribed medication had an effect on his behaviour.

Unfortunately he had not had success in trying to move.