A PAINTER who was 16 months into a thinking skills course smashed his neighbour’s door after a raucous shouting match.

It left a frustrated judge questioning if anything was “going on” inside Ryan Jackson’s brain as he told his neighbour he would “smash her head in”.

The 22-year-old was serving a suspended sentence for a previous offence of affray and possession of an offensive weapon in 2019 in Clacton when his latest crime took place on January 8.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard Jackson had returned to his flat in London Road, Clacton, having been at his girlfriend’s mother’s 50th birthday party.

He proceeded to call his own mother while in the communal garden at the property and began talking about his upstairs neighbour, whom he has had problems with in the past.

This conversation sparked the neighbour, who was overhearing everything, to shout from her window: “No-one cares about you”.

Gazette: Argument - London Road, ClactonArgument - London Road, Clacton (Image: Google)

Steven Levy, mitigating, claimed she then racially abused Jackson, although this remains unproven.

Infuriated, a shouting match ensued whereby the defendant told his neighbour he was going to “smash her head in”.

The court heard Jackson then stormed upstairs, banging on her door before punching it and breaking a glass pane.

Judge David Turner KC said: “He was involved in loutishness in Clacton in 2019; this is loutishness again in Clacton.

“It’s ironic that when you did this you were completing a thinking skills programme.

“It’s depressing even after some of these sessions you could still behave in the loutish way you did.

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“One wonders what’s going on in his head, if anything.”

Mr Levy said his client was under the influence of alcohol at the time and stated the neighbour has since moved away.

He added Jackson’s girlfriend is expecting to give birth to their child in December and he is keen to “put this behind him”.

Jackson admitted sole counts of criminal damage and using threatening behaviour.

Judge Turner opted to not activate the suspended sentence on Thursday as he felt it would be unjust.

Jackson was ordered to undertake 150 hours of unpaid work and 25 rehabilitation activity sessions.