A man kicked down the front door of a family home before brandishing a 1.5ft machete at her mother and two sons, a court heard.

Karl Roy Ainsworth, 27, of Princess Drive, Bollington, denies one count of aggravated burglary which is alleged to have taken place at 12.10am on January 7, last year at a home on Arundel Close, Macclesfield.

A jury at Chester Crown Court heard prosecutor Ryan Rothwell open the trial by saying Mr Ainsworth trespassed at the house with intent to cause grievous bodily harm while armed with a weapon, namely a machete.

He said that at the time of the alleged offence Helen Barsted was at home with two of her adult sons, Michael Barsted and Nathan Craig, along with Mr Craig’s girlfriend.

The court was told that Mr Ainsworth had been in a dispute with Mrs Barsted’s other son Kyle, who was not present, after Mr Ainsworth had started dating his ex partner.

Mr Rothwell said: “Shortly after midnight as [Mrs Barsted] was watching television with her son Michael she heard someone trying to kick in the front door which was unlocked but on a chain.

“She attempted to prevent entry but the aggressor still got through the door and waved a 1.5 ft machete at her. Her sons then managed to force the intruder out of the property.”

The court heard that although the knife did not strike anyone it ‘sliced through’ a panel of the living room door. Mr Rothwell added that Mr Ainsworth was arrested on February 3, 2017 when found by police hiding in a bedroom cupboard at his partner’s address on Earlsway, Macclesfield.

His image was selected by Mrs Barsted during an identification procedure during which she was shown images of nine different men, the court heard.

Talking to the witness stand, Helen Barsted, said: “I heard the door being kicked and kicked. I tried to close keep it shut with both hands. He broke through and I backed off into the living room, about six feet from him. He had his hood up but I could clearly see his face. He swung the machete from side to side missing me by about two inches. I was in shock, frozen.”

In cross examination for the defence Andrew Grant suggested prior to identifying Mr Ainsworth Mrs Barsted had seen ‘several images’ of him on Facebook. She replied she had only ever seen one.

The trial is currently being summed up (Thursday, May 17).