A 'paranoid' Narromine man who scared his mother with a hammer and knife because he believed she was conspiring to kill him has been granted bail.
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Trevor Jay Fieldsend, 39, was granted conditional bail in Dubbo Local Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to a single charge of stalk or intimidate, intending to cause fear or physical harm.
According to court documents, Fieldsend's mother was on the phone rinsing her hair out in the bathroom sink, when the 39-year-old appeared at the bathroom door with a hammer raised up next to his head, about 5.30pm on June 13 this year.
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The woman asked her son what he was doing when he told her "I can hear you on the phone, you ... are trying to find someone to shoot me".
Fieldsend walked away, but returned shortly later holding the hammer, a knife and a torch.
Police said the woman could tell Fieldsend was under the influence of drugs, and became fearful seeing him with the knife and hammer.
Fieldsend then went around and turned off all the lights in the house, and locked the doors and windows before sitting in the lounge room with his mother.
The pair were sitting in complete darkness, while Fieldsend kept muttering that people were coming for him and trying to kill him.
His mother knew she had to escape the situation and told him she would leave and go to Dubbo, when he told her "you can't go to Dubbo unless you take me with you".
The woman managed to message another person saying "get police here now", when officers arrived minutes later.
Fieldsend's mother managed to escape the house outside, following the lights of the police vehicle.
While at no point did Fieldsend threaten his mother, police said she was intimidated and fearful of his actions and told police she was worried that if she were to sleep in the house, he may assault or injure her in his "paranoid and deluded state".
Officers attempted to talk to Fieldsend, who didn't respond to police and refused to stay out of the house. Fieldsend was carrying a large torch and continued lighting up the yard, stating that someone was there and coming for him.
Eventually he spoke to officers telling them he hadn't taken drugs and was perfectly fine.
When safe, police eventually detained Fieldsend, who was taken to Dubbo hospital by ambulance paramedics to speak with mental health professionals.
The next day police attended the hospital and placed him under arrest for domestic violence intimidation. He was escorted back to Dubbo police station.
Defence lawyer Tia Caldwell made an application for bail in court on Wednesday, where Fieldsend appeared via audio-visual link.
Bail was opposed by the prosecution, who said there was an unacceptable risk of endangering the safety of the victim.
"Behaviour in the facts point to unpredictable behaviour and potentially being under the influence of an illicit substance," police prosecutor Sergeant Edward Knight said.
"All this behaviour is concerning to the victim if released from custody."
However Ms Caldwell said appropriate conditions could be put in place to protect his mother.
These included residing in Dubbo with his aunt, reporting daily to police, complying with a provisional AVO, and agreeing not to take drugs unless prescribed by a doctor. She also said he would be willing to undertake a mental health and general check.
Magistrate Theresa Hamilton said while the facts of the matter raised concerns, she noted that there were possible mental health issues which may have resulted in Fieldsend's behaviour.
She accepted that protection could be achieved by living at Dubbo, and reporting to police daily.
Magistrate Hamilton granted bail and the matter will return to court for sentence in July.