A Hampshire man crashed through banisters at his home in a middle-of-the-night fracas with his sister’s boyfriend.

Adam Swan and his partner had been having a barbecue with the other couple and all had been drinking before they went to bed.

But Southampton Crown Court heard Mr Swan was woken by noises from an adjoining bedroom and found Roy Fletcher, who suffered from night terrors, on top of Mr Swan’s sister, Lara.

Prosecutor Eleanor Fargin said Mr Swan pulled Fletcher away but Fletcher then rugby tackled him and Mr Swan, from Romsey, went through the banisters.

He went back upstairs where Fletcher was holding a screwdriver.

Fletcher shouted at his girlfriend “It’s all your fault”, the court heard, before he threw it towards her and went downstairs, arming himself with a pair of scissors.

Locking himself in a bathroom, the court was told he shouted: “If you come in, I’ll kill you.”

Ms Fargin said Fletcher was arrested, handcuffed and put in a police car, but ran off. Officers chased him for 150 yards before he was recaptured.

The court heard he had caused more than £1,100 damage to the carpet and other fittings in the house and that Mr Swan received four stitches at Southampton General Hospital for a cut face.

Fletcher, 26, of Cherry Tree Court, Eastleigh, admitted affray and obstruction.

He received a 14-month suspended sentence coupled with an 18-month supervision order, and was told to pay £339 compensation to Mr Swan.

In mitigation, Richard Martin told the court that a psychiatric assessment revealed Fltecher suffered from post traumatic stress disorder.

He was also dealing with his drink and cannabis misuse.

Passing sentence, Judge Peter Henry told Fletcher he needed therapy for his psychological problems.