Pushpa Raj Chhetri walks free after axe attack, death threats

Pushpa Raj Chhetri, 30, was at a home in Mowbray on January 14 when he demanded money from his mother and used a frypan to damage property after she refused to give him cash.

During a sentencing hearing in Launceston Magistrates Court on Friday, police prosecutor Matt Hills said Chhetri ran towards his mother with a 40-centimetre axe in his hand.

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Mr Hills said Chhetri tried to hit his mother with the axe before witnesses came between the pair.

While Chhetri was restrained, he repeatedly tried to hit his mother with the axe and yelled "I will kill you and drink your blood".

Later, in an interview with police Chhetri said he wasn't usually an angry man and his mother didn't listen to him so he became upset.

After he was granted bail, Chhetri went to his partner's residence in March and demanded money. When the woman refused, Chhetri grabbed her throat, pushed her and repeatedly threatened to kill her.

Chhetri used the blunt back of a knife to hit the woman's head when she tried to escape.

The next day, Chhetri woke the woman, demanded money, dragged her outside and pushed her down to the ground.

Days later, police received a call for assistance and went to the woman's property where Chhetri was found hiding under a bed. He has been remanded in custody since.

In court defence lawyer Isabelle Patch said Chhetri was Bhutanese refugee who lived in a refugee camp in Nepal for 21 years.

"A significant cause of this offending was essentially his struggle with depression and anger during that period," Ms Patch said.

"He instructs that he believed in natural remedies rather than being prescribed medication... since being in custody he's been able to reflect on this and plans upon his release to seek help for those issues."

Magistrate Ken Stanton said Chhetri was convicted of two assaults in 2014 - the year he arrived in Australia.

"I have regard to your personal circumstances and the difficult journey you have had to this point," Mr Stanton said.

Chhetri pleaded guilty to a string of offences, which included assaults and three failures to appear at court.

Magistrate Stanton convicted Chhetri and sentenced him to a 32-week term of imprisonment, wholly suspended for 12 months and backdated to when Chhetri entered custody.

The sentence allowed Chhetri to be released into the community.