Man gets prison time for attacking neighbours with hammer

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – A Massachusetts man who used a hammer to attack and severely injure two neighbours has been sentenced to up to 12 years in prison.

The Republican newspaper reports that 27-year-old Adrian Hinds was also sentenced Wednesday to five years of probation for the attack in March 2016 at a Westfield apartment complex.

Hinds was convicted last month of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury.

Victims Miranda Arthur-Smith and Nathan Cherniak were roommates in one apartment and Hinds and his mother lived in another.

The victims, who said the attack was unprovoked, suffered head injuries that required staples and stitches. Both said in court they still suffer from psychological aftereffects.

Hinds said the acted in self-defence.

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Information from: The Springfield (Mass.) Republican, http://www.masslive.com/news/