A MAN threatened his neighbour with a hammer over comments made on Facebook, a court heard.

Paul John Collins, of Hambleton Road, Coundon, smashed a pane of glass in the victim’s front door when he went to confront him over alleged insults made during an argument about quad bikes on the social networking site.

The victim’s own partner and two young children were in the house when the incident occurred on Friday, March 20.

Andrea Milsom, prosecuting at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court today (Wednesday, April 8) said Collins had smashed the UPVC door with the hammer because the victim refused to come out on to the street.

She said the 40-year-old later followed the man upstairs, kicked the bedroom door and shouted threats with the hammer in his hand.

Mrs Milsom said: “He was shouting threats like ‘I’m going to smash your head in with this hammer'.”

Mrs Milson also referred to a statement from the victim’s partner who alleged Collins came into the living room and apologised to her and the children before adding: “Don’t call the police. You know who my friends are and what they are capable of.

"If your boyfriend does call the police you won’t have a house to come back to.”

Collins pleaded guilty to criminal damage, using threatening and abusive words and behaviour and possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.

However, his solicitor, Zoe Passfield, said he denied making threats and alleged he had produced the hammer after the victim brandished a knife.

His version of events was not accepted by the Crown Prosecution Service and the case was committed to Durham Crown Court on Wednesday, May 6.

Collins received conditional bail.