A long-time crook who threatened to "slap" a woman doing a public housing visit claims he had overreacted after repeated home invasions in the past.
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South Albury man James Edward Humphrey became increasingly "erratic" and "aggressive" the longer the worker was at his Olive Street unit.
Albury Local Court has been told how Humphrey stood about 30 centimetres away from the victim and said into her face: "I am going to slap you."
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"You can't physically threaten me," she replied, stepping back out of fear the now 52-year-old would act on his threat.
He said "sorry" but then immediately continued "ranting", police said.
Humphrey, who pleaded guilty to intimidation, asked magistrate Richard Funston if he could do anything about getting him relocated from his unit.
He said he had been the victim of repeated home invasions.
Once a neighbour smashed his window, he said, and had also had belongings stolen from his home "by people with (drug) addictions".
Humphrey said external locks were broken during the most recent incident.
Because he had not been able to get these repaired, his unit remained unlocked and that meant he felt even more vulnerable.
"And it's very scary," he told Mr Funston, who warned him to not behave in such a way again.
"You can't do this to people because it's frightening to them."
Mr Funston restricted Humphrey's penalty to a $200 fine, but warned he would not be so lenient in future.
"Next time it becomes much more expensive, or you could get a jail sentence," he said.
Defence lawyer Mitchell Brooks said Humphrey told him "he often speaks his mind before he realises he's said anything".
He said Humphrey usually carried knives "and similar weapons" around his unit "for personal protection".
Police said Humphrey had an "extensive" criminal history.
The court was told the senior specialist worker from the NSW Department of Communities and Justice's housing service went to the units where Humphrey lived on May 18 about 9.30am.
The intimidation happened after the woman, 45, approached Humphrey, who was outside talking to another resident, about an "ongoing issue" related to his unit.
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