Co Antrim man accused of threatening to kill his mother and sister while armed with a machete

Tyrone McCrory is accused of brandishing the blade as he tried to force his way into the family home in Ballymena last month.

A judge was told the 25-year-old is a crack cocaine addict who launched the attack a day after being released from mental health facilities.

McCrory, of Chiswick Walk in Ballymena, faces charges of possessing an offensive weapon in public, aggravated burglary with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm, threats to kill, common assault, and criminal damage.

Prosecutors claimed he arrived at the family house on the same street on May 17 with a machete and tried to gain access by the front door and window.

His mother and sister were in the property at the time, but moved out to the back garden for safety.

It was alleged that McCrory followed them, hitting his sister over the head with a mop and punching her several times before striking her with a small table.

His mother was also punched before they got him out of the property, according to a Crown lawyer.

The barrister submitted: “He returned a short time later with a machete and threatened to kill both of them.”

She told the court McCrory pushed the blade through an open window and the letter box close to where his mother and sister were standing.

“They believed he was trying to kill them, and if police hadn’t attended there could have been serious injuries,” counsel said.

When officers arrived McCrory was bare chested and stepped out onto the street holding the machete, the court heard, but then dropped it onto the ground.

His application for bail was opposed amid concerns over him living so close to the scene of the incident.

Mr Justice O’Hara was told McCrory has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and was released from Holywell Hospital in Antrim the day before he went to his mother’s home.

“He does have an addiction to crack cocaine,” counsel added.

Adjourning proceedings, the judge stressed that greater security must be made available to ensure McCrory poses no risk.

Mr Justice O’Hara observed: “He might turn up at his mother’s house to complete what he was threatening to do a few weeks ago.”