Armed police had to force their way into a man’s home and deploy a stun grenade after he barricaded himself inside his Ramsey home.

Paul Anthony McCormick refused to come out of his home in Albert Road when police called after he attacked a friend with a hammer following a drunken argument.

McCormick was already on bail for a number of drug offences when the incident happened in Waterloo Street, close to his home on May 24 this year.

The 35-year-old appeared at the Court of General Gaol Delivery for sentencing on Friday.

Prosecuting advocate Victoria Kinrade told the court the defendant had been out with the victim when a passing motorist saw McCormick and the victim having a ‘scuffle’ on Waterloo Street at around 1.30am.

They were standing ‘face to face’ before the witness saw McCormick swing an object at the other man.

It later transpired McCormick hit the victim in the head, behind the ear, with a hammer. The man was taken to hospital and needed the injury stitched and glued, but he did not make a complaint, which is why the charge is affray.

Ms Kinrade said: ‘The defendant returned to his flat and barricaded himself in his property. The road was closed and armed police attended.

‘A tactical stun grenade was deployed and firearms officers managed to get in and the defendant was arrested.’

McCormick was already on bail at the time for a number of drug offences.

The court heard that on August 10 last year police were called to the Post Office’s Northern sorting office after a cannabis smell was emanating from a package addressed to McCormick.

When officers opened it, they found vapes, sweets, and packets of tablets. There were three bags of tablets containing brown liquid, alongside 48 cola bottle sweets and 48 jelly sweets.

They were sent to the UK for analysis and found to contain tetrahydrocannabinol, a component of cannabis.

The defendant’s address was searched, and 22 canisters of Nitrous Oxide were found, along with red balloons, and scales.

No value had been provided for the items, but the prosecution accepted they were for personal use.

In relation to the affray, a basis of plea was entered in which McCormick says he lashed out recklessly with the hammer, rather than deliberately. This was accepted by the prosecution.

Defence advocate Stephen Wood told the court McCormick’s behaviour had changed following a work accident in 2022 in which he suffered a serious head injury.

Mr Wood said: ‘My client’s character has changed as a result of the injury and the impact on him is a tragedy of sorts. He is not the same person he was before.’

Mr Wood argued McCormick would benefit from support from probation and other professionals.

Deemster Graeme Cook accepted the impact the work accident had seriously affected McCormick’s behaviour but told McCormick: ‘It does not excuse you from committing criminal offences.’

For the affray McCormick was given 12 months in jail suspended for 18 months with supervision.

Her was also given four months in prison also suspended for 18 months for the production of the class C drugs which will be consecutive.

He was also given two months suspended for the possession of class B drugs and one month suspended for possession of class C drugs (nitrous oxide) to run concurrently.