A man was startled awake by a dad banging on his door at 2:40am, leading to a bizarre confrontation involving diesel.
Salford: A dad was banging on a man’s door at 2:40am. He was trying to pour diesel through the letterbox. This strange incident happened last October.
The two men had met briefly a week earlier. David Smith asked for a cigarette, but the victim had none. They parted ways without any issues.
On that early morning, the victim woke up to loud banging. Smith, 43, was at the door with another man. The other man was charged too, but the case against him was dropped.
Prosecutor Justin Hayhoe said Smith was clearly in charge. CCTV showed him banging on the door and shouting, “Open your f****** door, you s*** bag!”
Smith noticed the camera and tried to turn it away. He then left briefly to grab a Jerry can of diesel from his van. He cut a hosepipe before returning to the door.
He kept demanding the man open up and made false accusations. A neighbor, also disturbed by the noise, came out and was told it was nothing to worry about.
The neighbor said he called the police, but Smith didn’t care. He threatened to set the man on fire. In court footage, Smith tried to pour diesel through the letterbox, but no diesel was found inside.
Police arrived quickly and found Smith outside smoking. The victim couldn’t open his door due to the damage, which cost £4,000 to repair.
The victim shared in court that he had taken two overdoses after the incident. He felt scared and trapped in his own home.
Smith’s lawyer, Ian Metcalfe, said there was no intention to light the diesel. He admitted Smith was drunk and had mental health issues at the time.
Smith had a history of battery and causing harm. He was sentenced to two years in jail. Recorder Michael Blakey noted Smith’s alcohol problem and temper.
Smith, from Kiwi Street, Salford, had already admitted to making threats and criminal damage.
