A MAN who threatened to cut a woman's head off before slicing her finger with a machete has been sentenced to time behind bars. Goran Ellis appeared via video link from custody for his sentencing in Tamworth Local Court after he made off from a West Tamworth home with hundreds of dollars in cash while armed with a machete. The court heard the 27-year-old was serving a community-based sentence for prior offences when he entered a Tingira Street home at about 6pm on December 11, 2022. After entering the home, Ellis picked up a box containing $350 dollars and a small amount of cannabis before heading towards the door, agreed police facts state. At this time a woman, who was tidying up in her bedroom while a child played in the backyard, ran towards Ellis and a scuffle broke out. Ellis yelled "I'll cut your f****** head off and hurt your kids if you don't give me the money and weed", according to the police facts. He swung the machete at the woman, who put her hand up, and she suffered cuts to two fingers. Ellis fled the house with the cash and machete before police arrived at the scene. In court, the 27-year-old's Aboriginal Legal Service (ALS) defence solicitor Courtney Edstein said Ellis had been bail refused since he was arrested on December 13, 2022. "That time should be taken into account," she said. Ms Edstein told the court Ellis had been subject to a difficult upbringing, where he was exposed to addiction and violence at a young age. She said he spent time "on his own", couch surfing, or sleeping rough. Ms Edstein conceded the 27-year-old's record did not "assist him" but said the offender had expressed remorse for his actions in a sentencing assessment report tendered to the court. The Director of Public Prosecutions solicitor handed up a bundle of sentencing submissions to the court. The solicitor said there was some concern about the 27-year-old's insight into the offending, and told the court Ellis had demonstrated he was only willing to address his behaviour if directed to by correctives staff. Magistrate Julie Soars sentenced Ellis to 26 months behind bars for entering a building with intent to commit an indictable offence; steal property in dwelling house; and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. She set a non-parole period of 14 months, and backdated the sentence to start on December 13, 2022. Ellis is to be released to parole in February 2024.