A 53-year-old man has been sentenced at Dungannon Magistrates’ Court after admitting to damaging a house with a hammer.

Venancio Amaral, of Braeside, Dungannon, pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon, namely a hammer, in a public place. District Judge Francis Rafferty sentenced him to four months in prison, suspended for 12 months, and ordered him to pay £2,080 in compensation.

The court heard that on the night of August 21, Amaral called police to report that he had damaged the home of a man he believed had assaulted his daughter. Officers arrived to find Amaral outside the property holding a hammer. He dropped the weapon and was arrested.

During interview, Amaral said he had been told the homeowner had assaulted his daughter. He said he acted in a rage and took a hammer to damage the man’s property.

Amaral’s solicitor described the incident as an aberration, noting his client had no previous convictions and had agreed to pay compensation. A pre-sentence report indicated Amaral showed genuine remorse.

Judge Rafferty questioned why Amaral had chosen to destroy property rather than confront the alleged perpetrator. He warned Amaral that if he receives information in the future that a family member has been assaulted, he should contact police rather than take the law into his own hands.