Man hit with claw hammer in Sunderland after attacker got wrong address

The victim had been asleep in bed when he heard his front door being smashed off its hinges and saw armed stranger Kevin Sandilands standing in the communal hallway.

Newcastle Crown Court heard Sandilands, who has a long criminal record and was on a suspended sentence at the time, struck the victim twice with the claw hammer he was carrying and caused cuts to his head and hand.

Sandilands then declared he had got the wrong address, threatened to hit the man's kneecaps and demanded cans of Fosters lager he had dropped.

The court heard the victim, who had tried to fight back with a pool cue, threw the lager cans at Sandilands and told him to "get out", which he did.

Prosecutor Nicoleta Alistari said the victim had been asleep at his home in Sunderland in September last year when he heard a "loud bang" and left his bedroom, with a pool cue for protection, to investigate.

Miss Alistari said: "He saw his front door smashed in, the door off its hinges. He went into the corridor leading to the front door and saw the defendant.

"The complainant did not know him and asked him who he was.

"He noticed the man had a claw hammer in his hand, which he used to strike him to the head, twice."

The court heard the attack caused "a lot of bleeding" and the victim hit back with the pool cue, which caused Sandilands to fall to the ground.

Sandilands then said he had the wrong address but warned "I'm going to hit your kneecaps, I want my cans".

Miss Alistari told the court: "The complainant threw the cans, saying 'here's the cans, get out'."

A second male, who was with Sandilands, also told him it was the wrong address before they left.

The victim said in an impact statement he now fears he could come under attack again and the security he once felt at his home, in Sunderland, had been "shattered".

Sandilands, 37, of no fixed address, admitted assault and breach of the earlier suspended sentence.

Miss Recorder Scott sentenced him to a total of 25 months behind bars.

The court heard Sandilands has had issues with drugs and alcohol.