A THUG threw tiles at his neighbours after climbing on top of the roof of a block of flats, screamed that he would kill them and then threatened a stranger with a knife in a bizarre booze-fuelled rampage.

Distraught at the death of his ex-wife, Jason Knights broke his two years abstinence from alcohol.

He climbed to the top of the roof of the flats where he lived in Dudley Road, Clacton, in April and threw tiles down into the communal garden where other residents were.

After being talked down he came down, but armed himself with a hammer and a screwdriver.

He began banging on his neighbour’s door screaming he would cut her because she called the police.

Another resident got him away from the scene but he returned again, this time with a knife, and repeated his vile threat.

Knights, 49, then threw a hammer through her window and trashed his own flat.

He was arrested and taken to custody where he racially abused a police officer.

Knights was bailed with specific instructions not to go back to the address, but did so the next day.

He then followed a stranger who was visiting his mother and threatened him by hanging a kitchen knife above his head and banging on the door.

Knight, who has 28 previous convictions for 52 offences, admitted criminal damage, affray, racially aggravated harassment, threats to kill and threatening behaviour.

Judge Timothy Walker jailed him for three years at Chelmsford Crown Court.

He said: “This was absolutely shocking behaviour towards your neighbours - one of them has been left distraught by this and said she genuinely believed you would hurt her.”

Rachel Law, mitigating, said: “This was one episode of him trying to deal with his grief.”