A 56-year-old man lunged over another man’s fence with a knife in the escalation of a neighbourhood feud in Mataura.
Barry Robert Morgan, 56, was before the Gore District Court this week charged with possessing the weapon in public and the threatening behaviour towards his victim last month.
In court, defence counsel Scott Williamson said that a neighbourhood feud between the two men had gone on for a "lengthy time".
The police summary said on the evening of April 11, the defendant was walking through a council reserve in Mataura.
The victim’s home backed on to this reserve and when Morgan walked by, the other man’s dog started barking through the fence.
Mr Morgan then yelled "you little f...er wanted to start me", the summary said.
The victim came out to retrieve his dog and Morgan walked over, pulling a knife from his pocket.
He then swung at the victim with the knife in his right hand, but the man stepped back, avoiding contact with the blade.
The defendant then walked off and later declined to comment to police.
Mr Williamson said there was bad blood between the two men, and they were related through in-laws "and so on".
The court heard the man spent three days in custody for the offending which Mr Williamson said had "scared" his client.
He said Morgan had not been before the court for nine years but acknowledged that the armed lunge could have been a lot more serious than what occurred.
Judge Mark Williams said Morgan had an assault conviction from 2016 and six years prior to that a "variety of matters" of violence.
In a statement, the victim said he was concerned about Morgan’s escalation of behaviour and worried what he might do, as he lived close by.
The judge told the defendant his behaviour has "got to stop".
He also said of the three days spent in custody: "I doubt that was a particularly pleasant experience for you".
Because of those three days, an early guilty plea and because Morgan had been out of trouble for nearly 10 years, Judge Williamson deferred the man’s sentence for 12 months.
