A man who believed his ex-lover had started a relationship broke into a house to confront the man.

Oliver Hamilton-Harris, 37, went into a “crazy rage”, threatening to kill Stephen Turner before throwing a knife at him.

But Hamilton-Harris was wrong because there was no relationship between his ex and her next-door neighbour, a court heard.

Now the defendant, of Partridge Close, Broomfield, has been jailed for two years for having a knife, making a threat to kill, and causing criminal damage.

Prosecutor Simon Taylor told Canterbury Crown Court how the bricklayer’s belief his ex was in a relationship with Mr Turner “was without foundation”.

Mr Turner was at his home with his young daughter when he was awoken by the sound of crashing and banging on the door.

“He went to the top of the stairs and saw the defendant, who was making his way up the stairs,” Mr Taylor said. “Mr Turner pushed him backwards.

“The defendant shouted ‘Let me upstairs, I know where she is!’ – a reference to the defendant’s ex-partner, who lived next door.”

Dad-of-three Mr Turner told Hamilton-Harris the only other person in the house was his seven-year-old girl but he responded by telling him he was going to “cut him and open him up”.

Mr Taylor said the defendant, who was armed with a knife, stood there as the child went to the toilet unaware of the incident.

Pointing the knife at Mr Turner, Hamilton-Harris added: “I’m going to stab you.”

He then stabbed furniture before taking a picture from the wall and as he walked away pretended to throw the knife twice.

“On the third occasion, he threw it and it hit Mr Turner’s left shin,” Mr Taylor said. “It would appear that the handle of the knife had hit him. He then started laughing.”

Kieran Brand, defending, said Hamilton-Harris was now “deeply ashamed by his actions and wishes to apologise”.

Recorder Stephen Davies told him: “You had broken up with your partner, who was pregnant with your child at the time.

“You went to her home and in getting no answer believed she was next door. You were completely wrong.”