A father-of-five has admitted attacking and threatening a man he discovered at the house of his former partner.

Blair Showers spent ten minutes knocking on the bedroom window of the Warwick residence at around 1am on July 26 to try to get the attention of Steven Raynor, who did not respond.

Eventually the 41-year-old defendant gained access to the house, where his children with his former partner were sleeping.

Showers then entered the bedroom, where he punched Mr Raynor in the face and kicked him in the torso, saying: “I’m going to kill you. I pass you every day; I’m going to attack you on your job.”

Mr Raynor sustained an abrasion to the right side of his face in the attack, but did not seek medical attention.

In Magistrates’ Court this morning, the defendant from Middle Road, Southampton pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful assault and two counts of using threatening words.

Showers, who had no previous convictions, insisted that the incident was a “one-off”.

He admitted to being upset at seeing another man in the house at such a late hour, and claimed that he had been worried about his children.

His defence lawyer added: “Affairs of the heart are sometimes very difficult, and people make rash decisions in the heat of the moment.”

Senior magistrate Juan Wolffe handed Showers a 12-month conditional discharge — explaining that he opted against a harsher sentence given the defendant’s guilty plea, his clean criminal record, the low likelihood of reoffending and the non-serious nature of Mr Raynor’s injuries.

Regarding Mr Raynor’s presence in his former partner’s home, Mr Wolffe told the defendant: “As long as it’s not affecting the welfare of your children, it’s none of your business.”

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