AN attacker whose commentary on his crime was tape-recorded by police has been jailed for two years.

Christopher Howe hit 49-year-old vagrant Alan Davis on the head causing a fractured skull.

After returning from a business trip to London, he caught his wife Susanna and Mr Davis drinking vodka together.

Howe, who lashed out with a carver's adze at the family home in Millbrook Street, Hereford, was convicted by a jury at Worcester Crown Court of unlawfully inflicting grievous bodily harm.

Police, tipped off that trouble was looming, phoned him during the assault and recorded the incident as it happened.

They heard Howe admit he gave the victim "a steaming round the head" and he made threats to murder him if he got up off the floor.

Judge Michael Mott told the 37-year-old fibre optics engineer that although he was not of criminal inclinations he had acted in a very odd way, as if he was mentally ill.

He said Howe was extremely annoyed to find his wife with Mr Davis and had caused him a very serious injury.

The jury heard that Mr Davis, from Gloucester, met the defendant's wife in a pub and she offered him shelter.

Father-of-one Howe said they were both drunk when he arrived home on Friday, May 5, and he ordered Mr Davis to leave, before staying the night at his parents' home at Mordiford, near Hereford.

Next day, he went back to his house to try and patch-up his troubled marriage, but found Mr Davis still there.

Howe claimed he was bitten by Mr Davis's dogs before he launched a wild blow with the adze.

The defendant, who has worked in South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Belgium and France, had a previous conviction for assault on police and a caution for carrying a prohibited weapon which discharged a noxious gas.

Peter Haynes, defending, said his wife's problems had "dragged him into the mire". He had acted on the spur of the moment in heated circumstances.

He wanted to complete a number of contracts out of the area before setting up in business locally and looking after his daughter.

"He's resolved to straightening himself out, working hard and stopping drinking. He has talent and industry," added Mr Haynes.