Nathan Carter preforms at the 2015 LGFA TG4 Ladies Football Allstar Awards, at CityWest Hotel, Saggart, Co Dublin

THE repeated playing of country star Nathan Carter's hit Wagon Wheel is "some sort of psychological torture," a court has been told.

A man charged with criminal damage said he snapped after a neighbour in a flat above him played Carter's biggest hit over and over.

Stephen John Leighton (53), of The Elms in Coleraine's Ballysally estate, pleaded guilty at the town's magistrates court to two charges arising out of the incident when, with drink consumed, he stormed up a communal stairwell and yelled: "If I hear Wagon Wheel one more time I'm going to break that stereo."

He did in fact break two windows.

The court was told on Monday that on the night of Sunday, January 10 a householder called police after Leighton, who lived alone in a flat below him, banged on his door shouting "Open the f**king door now" before breaking two panes of glass.

Defence barrister Francis Rafferty said there were "unusual circumstances".

"On the night in question and for some time beforehand he had been tortured. He believed it was some sort of psychological torture," he said.

The lawyer said there had been a highly repetitive playing of the Nathan Carter country and western version of the song Wagon Wheel.

Mr Rafferty said when his client went to the flat above he was not making a threat to the occupant but instead said: "If I hear Wagon Wheel one more time I'm going to break that stereo" and Mr Rafferty said it was "more a threat to the originator of the song".

Mr Rafferty claimed that the intervention only led to the song "being played more loudly and more repetitively".

He said Leighton had not intended to intentionally break the glass but that the damage was caused when he slammed the door.

Leighton pleaded guilty to charges of criminal damage and assault on police.

District Judge Liam McNally told Leighton: "Irrespective of the view you took about this particular tune that did not entitle you to take the law into your own hands" as he imposed a four months prison term, suspended for two years, and ordered him to pay £200 compensation for the damage to the windows."

Liverpool-born Nathan Carter is one of Irish country music's biggest stars. Wagon Wheel was released in 2012 and the album of the same name reached number three in the Irish charts.

He has released seven studio albums and regularly sells out concerts across Ireland. He has has featured in the BBC Northern Ireland television series Keepin 'Er Country.