A RAGING alcoholic who set about smearing his own blood across the walls of his partner’s house after smashing his way in through a window has avoided prison.

Dean Costello, 39, flew into a jealous and drunken rage when he visited his girlfriend’s house, in Alyssum Walk, Colchester, and discovered she was inside with a man.

In fact, his partner was at home with their two-year-old child and two friends, who secured themselves in a room and dialled 999 as Costello tried to smash his way in.

Costello, a self-confessed alcoholic with 25 previous convictions, was arrested and later admitted carrying out the violent act.

Raj Joshi, prosecuting at Chelmsford Crown Court, said he threatened to kill his partner’s male friend.

He said: “As far as the male friend was concerned he was nothing more than a friend of the victim.

“However, the defendant assumed and presumed some sort of relationship was going on between them and as a result of that broke the glass window.

“He cut himself while trying to get in.

“He was bleeding and literally marked the premises throughout with his blood, including things like the walls. He started to make threats to kill through the door.

“He said ‘You are a dead man, I am going to kill you, you’re a marked man. I’m going to kill you when I see you again, I am going to rip you apart’.”

In interview, Costello said he couldn’t remember much of the incident as he had been drinking.

In a victim impact statement, his partner insisted she remains supportive of him, and described how his behaviour is fuelled by a struggle with alcohol.

Mr Joshi said: “It is of note that in spite of the defendant’s view of her, she is actually incredibly supportive of him.

“She says this happens when he is in drink.

“She says their daughter idolises him and he can be quite a nice man when he is not in drink, he wouldn’t normally behave like that.

“She goes on to say he needs help in relation to his drink problem and that ‘he gives our daughter everything he can’.”

Costello, of Honywood Close, Marks Tey, admitted using violence to enter a premises, criminal damage, possession of cannabis, threats to kill and using threatening words.

He has 25 convictions for 59 previous offences, including causing death by careless driving while unfit through drink after a head-on crash in Tiptree in 2008.

His passenger and close friend Ben Stevens, 23, was killed.

Rakesh Sharma, mitigating, said this incident had a lasting affect on Costello.

He said: “He has never received any counselling for that.

“The aftermath of that incident was somewhat of a blur, because he himself received some serious injuries.

“He had to deal with not just his own demons as far as alcohol is concerned, but with the fact he caused the death of a close friend.

“The only way he knew how to deal with that was by resorting to alcohol.

“He has had a more than 20 year battle with alcohol.

“Some of that is clearly evidenced by the number of previous convictions we see.”

Addressing Costello’s latest crime, Mr Sharma added: “This would have been a frightening, if not terrifying incident for all of those involved.”

Judge tells alcoholic to 'choose family over drink.'

Judge Patricia Lynch QC spared Costello prison after his elderly parents wrote her a letter asking for mercy.

She passed a 13 month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and said: “It seems to me you specialise in hurting people you love the most.

“You have an overwhelming alcohol problem.

“You must understand the only person who can do anything about that is you and instead of taking it out on those you love, it is time you started showing them love back.

“I don’t think you are at all supportive, you don’t behave like a man, you have let them down at every possible opportunity.

“You have alcohol and the bottle in one hand and family and the people who love you in the other.

"Why is that such a difficult choice?”