A thug said a man was "getting terrored" before hitting him in the face with an axe.
Scott McLean, who has a history of violent offending dating back more than 15 years, launched a brutal unprovoked assault upon the stranger on his own doorstep in the early hours. The victim was left with several broken facial bones as a result of the attack and had to travel to Turkey in order to undergo corrective dental work.
A trial at Liverpool Crown Court previously heard that Ahmet Kaya had been asleep at his house on Deepdale, in Widnes, on January 21 last year when he was woken at around 5am by banging at the front door. Simon Leong, prosecuting, described how he then heard a man speaking to his wife and went downstairs to investigate.
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Upon seeing McLean - of no fixed address - stood at the entrance to his home, Mr Kaya told the unknown male to leave and began to walk outside in order to usher him out of his front garden. But the visitor responded by calling him by a racial slur before pulling a "small, yellow-handled axe" from his coat pocket.
He then swung this weapon at the homeowner, with the "blunt back of the head of the axe making forceful contact with his face". McLean ran away at this point and Mr Kaya was left with "blood pouring from his mouth".
The complainant subsequently attended Whiston Hospital, where it was discovered that he had suffered a fractured jaw and cheekbone. He also had to have "Turkey teeth" fitted after his teeth became "loosened" by the blow.
Mr Kaya's daughter was said to have had previous "dealings" with McClean, who had "accused her of knowing who had damaged his mother's car". On the morning of the attack, she had received messages from him over WhatsApp - including a picture of the hatchet used during the assault.
Another text read "you're getting it you". Ms Kaya was then informed of the incident by her sister and phoned McLean, who began "ranting" and claimed he would "ruin her family" and "rip her family in half".
In a further WhatsApp message, the 32-year-old told her "ur dad and sis are getting terrored now" and threatened to have his uncle attack her parents and cause damage to their car. He was arrested four days later, but gave no comment under interview.
McLean has a number of previous convictions, including being given a 10-month detention and training order for affray as a youth in 2007. He was then locked up for seven years and handed a five-year extended licence period for a section 18 assault in 2009, before being given four years for aggravated burglary in 2015.
Then, in September last year, he was imprisoned for assault emergency services worker and a malicious communications offence - with Mr Kaya's daughter being the victim in the latter. Helen Chenery, defending, told the court today: "There have been a number of traumatic incidents in Mr McLean's life.
"Mr McLean was in custody when his brother passed away and he was unable to be with his family at that time. It was a brother he felt quite protective over, due to his disabilities.
"He has impulse control issues. He reacts too quickly and too violently.
"He needs to get a number of areas of his life in order before he can making a clean start of it. He is starting to recognise the impact of his behaviour.
"He understands that, at his age, the sentences are only going to get longer. He is quite confident that, were he not under the influence of drink and drugs to the extent he was, he would not have reacted in that way.
"It could have been much worse. It is probably more by luck than by design that more serious injury wasn't caused.
"He is still relatively young. He is perhaps at a turning point."
McClean was found guilty of wounding with intent by a jury, having admitted possession of a bladed article in a public place and a malicious communications offence. Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool, he was jailed for six years and handed an additional three years on licence.
Sentencing, Recorder Michael Blakey said: "You still maintain that Mr Kaya in fact pulled a knife out, and you thought you could do nothing else but use the ace to defend yourself. Quite rightly, the jury rejected that suggestion.
"The reality is, you have continued to commit offences of violence. You took an offensive weapon to the scene, and you clearly planned to use that weapon.
"You used violence with weapons, and you have done so over a period of time. You clearly have a volatile nature, and when challenged you resort to using weapons to cause serious injury to others."
McLean must serve at least two thirds of the six-year term before becoming eligible for release. He was also handed a restraining order banning him from contact three members of the Kaya family indefinitely.
