By 
A WOMAN has been left terrified after her ex-partner broke into her home brandishing a hatchet and a hammer, while she and her children were asleep in bed.
Alexander Jefferson, from Springhill Park, Strabane, is charged with entering the home of his ex-partner armed with a hammer with intent to commit grievous bodily harm, assaulting her threatening to kill her and falsely imprisoning and detaining her against her will.
It is further alleged he threatened to kill the woman’s brother and was in possession of the Class A drug Tapentadol.
A detective constable told Enniskillen Magistrates Court the charges could be connected.
He explained that, from around 4.50am to 5am on Friday (February 6), police received a number of calls, the first of which reported Jefferson was on his way to his ex-partner’s home with a sledgehammer.
It was then reported he had locked his ex-partner in her house, but she had managed to escape.
Jefferson then rang police telling them, “I’ll be up there swinging a hatchet. Get them up here ASAP or I’ll do something about it. I will kill every person in that house.”
Police attended the address and after several knocks on the door Jefferson spoke to them through the kitchen window.
His face was covered in blood and claimed to have been assaulted by his ex-partner’s brother.
Described by the detective as ‘erratic’, Jefferson refused to open the door as he believed he would be arrested.
Officers located a hammer and hatchet close to the front door of the property, both of which had small amounts of blood on them.
Jefferson said the hatchet was to chop wood and he had ‘no intention of using it’.
Police spoke to the ex-partner who explained she and her two young children were asleep in their rooms when Jefferson entered her home and locked both the back and front doors.
He took control of her keys and phone leaving her unable to call anyone for help and refused to let her out of the house.
She was distraught and he said she could have her phone back if she calmed down.
When she attempted to grab it, Jefferson pushed her back with both hands.
At one stage he went into the kitchen, and she managed to retrieve the phone from the side of the sofa, but when she tried to call her friend he snapped it from her hand.
Minutes later she retrieved it again and rang her brother who quickly attended with her friend and removed her.
Her brother then entered the house to get the keys but ran out stating Jefferson had a hammer and hatchet.
The ex-partner said his mood was ‘manic’ and she was terrified he would cause serious harm to her children and herself.
Jefferson was arrested and while in custody a tablet fell from his shoe. A further search revealed another strip of the same tablets which were found to be prescription-only Class A drugs.
A defence barrister advised Jefferson currently did not have an address to put forward for release, so a bail application was not being made at this time.
Deputy District Judge Austin Kennedy remanded him in custody to appear again by videolink at Strabane Magistrates Court on February 19.
