A man who beat his ex-girlfriend's father with a plank of wood, leaving him with a broken hip, has been jailed for five years.

Michael Ameshack Jones, 25, was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm to Willoughby Woolridge by a jury after a trial last year.

At the sentencing hearing, Crown counsel Graveney Bannister said the relationship between Jones and girlfriend Juanita Woolridge soured, and this resulted in Jones beating her father, Mr. Woolridge.

He said there had not previously been any "bad blood" between the defendant, of Kitty's Lane, Hamilton Parish, and his 52-year-old victim from Middletown, Pembroke.

Mr. Bannister added that Mr. Woolridge was unemployed for "some time" as a result of his injury.

Asking Puisne Judge Charles-Etta Simmons to consider imposing a three-year jail sentence, Mr. Bannister described the assault as "an inexcusable attack".

The court heard that Jones, a father of one, has previous convictions for unlawful wounding and possession of an offensive weapon, namely a baseball bat, plus a lengthy history of antisocial behaviour.

A pre-sentence report noted he has "a propensity towards violence when faced with stressful situations" and a "a moderate to high risk of re-offending".

Mrs. Justice Simmons said that a statement by Mr. Woolridge about the impact of the crime described how he suffered from nightmares. "He feels his life will never be the same again, and is unable to work as he worked before," she noted.

Elizabeth Christopher, defending Jones, said the jury failed to find intent on the part of her client in relation to the injuries.

"The blow was struck and Mr. Woolridge fell to the ground as a result of which he sustained an injury," she said, adding that the "real serious bodily injury was caused by the falling".

She suggested between 15 and 18 months in jail should be imposed, together with probation.

Jones told the judge: "I'm ashamed for what I done."

Sentencing him, Mrs. Justice Simmons told him: "Mr. Woolridge's injury was serious and he shall bear the implications for the rest of his life.

"It's clear to the court that you pose a risk to society of re-offending. You attacked an innocent man because of ill feelings that you had towards his daughter."

She ordered him to undergo programmes to address his violence during his prison term.