Belfast man who accused neighbour of having sex with his partner jailed for hammer-wielding incident

Jonathan Beggs stole curtains from his neighbour's bedroom window and wrapped his naked ex-partner in them before she was found in his front garden during last month's incident, a court heard.

Beggs (34), of Cultra Street, had previously entered guilty pleas to criminal damage, attempted criminal damage, common assault, possessing an offensive weapon and theft.

A prosecution lawyer told Belfast Magistrates' Court that around 5.30 pm on Friday, June 13, 2025, police were tasked to Cultra Street after a neighbour of the defendant said he had heard a "loud smashing'' noise.

He said he had observed Beggs outside his ground floor bedroom window "holding two hammers''.

"He was shouting accusations that the neighbour and another resident in the property had had sex with his partner,'' said the prosecutor. "The injured party noticed his window was smashed and observed the defendant pull the bedroom curtains from the pole and take them.

"The complainant and another male went outside and saw the defendant coming towards them swinging both hammers.

"The injured party, fearing immediate violence, closed the front gate of the property. The defendant started to hit the gate with the hammer but caused no damage.''

She said the complainant asked Beggs to put the hammers away but the defendant leaned over the gate and attempted to strike him with the hammers. The court heard the defendant made off at the sight of police arriving but was located a while later and arrested.

"Two hammers were recovered from his home address and police also located a naked female in the front garden of his property wrapped in curtains,'' added the prosecutor. A defence solicitor said the Probation Board's view was that a probation order would be of no use to the defendant.

"Frankly, this incident was entirely driven by addiction issues. I think he now accepts that his former girlfriend had tried to wind him up, for want of a better word, about these allegations.

"She was the naked female in the curtain which relates to theft of him pulling down the window pole from these men's property.''

He added that Beggs has long standing mental health issues and in relation to that he receives an injection into his spine once a month.

The solicitor said the defendant was willing to engage with the Probation Board but it was of the view he would end up being breached for not complying with the terms of the order.

"It was mainly threatening behaviour on his part and no one was actually struck,'' he added.

District Judge George Connor said: "I understand where probation are coming from and I will impose a sentence of four months.''