DAYS after being woken up by builders on a weekend, an aggrieved neighbour drunkenly smashed a window of the house next door with a baseball bat, a court heard.

By Amanda Cresswell

DAYS after being woken up by builders on a weekend, an aggrieved neighbour drunkenly smashed a window of the house next door with a baseball bat, a court heard.

David Nye appeared before magistrates where he admitted causing more than £600 damage to a double glazed window and front door in St Mary's Close, Trimley St Mary.

Police found the 38-year-old collapsed in front of the building after hearing reports of a man breaking in, prosecutor Mark Brown told South East Suffolk Magistrates.

Police arrived at the scene to see broken glass, along with a baseball bat covered in blood.

The father of three, who works at Felixstowe docks, was interviewed at Felixstowe Police Station where he admitted causing the damage after drinking "a great deal of alcohol."

Representing himself Nye, told the court he couldn't remember the incident but said: "I know I did it because it was my bat and there were cuts on my body."

The court heard that five to six days beforehand he was woken up by repair work being done to the empty property next door prior to it being re-tenanted. "They were drilling holes in the wall," he said.

However, he said the situation was resolved amicably with the work being carried out a bit later.

Nye told the court he didn't normally drink. "I get on well with people. I certainly have no excuse for doing that. No excuse whatsoever."

Sentencing Nye to a two-year conditional discharge chairman of the bench Martin Smith, said:

"What you did was aggravated by the fact you were obviously drunk and was made worse by the fact it was unprovoked and we are concerned about the baseball bat."

He added: "On the other side of the coin we accept it was spontaneous and also in your favour was that you have co-operated with police and pleaded guilty.

"We accept that you regret that you had done it."

He ordered Nye to pay £607.44 compensation to cover the cost of the damage and £55 costs.

After sentencing, Nye told magistrates: "Since the incident happened I haven't had a drink at all."