Intruders armed with a machete and hammer smashed living room door panels in a bid to get at a man protecting his family at their home in south Armagh, the High Court has heard.
Prosecutors claimed Sean McGonnell (31) was one of two armed raiders who broke into the house on the Aughnagurgan Road, near Altnamackan in the middle of the night.
McGonnell, from Co Armagh but with an address at Summer Hill in Dublin, faces charges of aggravated burglary with intent to steal and possessing an offensive weapon in public.
He was granted bail but banned from entering the south Armagh area.
The court heard how the homeowner heard loud bangs which sounded like glass breaking in the early hours of February 28.
When he got up and went into the living room he saw two men coming towards him from the kitchen.
One of them was carrying a machete while the other brandished a hammer.
“The homeowner held the glass door closed to ensure the males could not get any further inside the house and to protect his family,” Crown counsel said.
At that point the intruder with the machete allegedly used the blade to break some glass panels in the door to try and get at the man.
His two sons then entered the room to support the father, the court heard.
The burglars were chased from the scene after they fled through patio doors which had been smashed to gain entry to the house.
Searches carried out in the area led to McGonnell being located in a field later that morning, according to the prosecution.
Counsel added: “He was found with a red and black handled machete… recognised as the one belonging to the offender who entered the home”.
Defence lawyers argued that McGonnell should be released under supervision in order to tackle addiction issues as part of licence conditions imposed in a previous case.
Barrister Sean Devine argued: “This is a sliding doors moment for him, this really could be transformative”.
Granting bail, Mr Justice Humphreys cited McGonnell’s co-operation with an opiate therapy programme.
“Rehabilitation… is a better solution than lengthy cycles on remand and further offending,” the judge stressed.
McGonnell was ordered to have no contact with the victim’s family and excluded from parts of south Armagh and Down.