A MAN attacked his neighbour with a snooker cue following a long-running feud between the pair, a court heard.

Callum Armistead, 34, repeatedly smashed the wooden cue over his victim Anthony Hadcroft during an argument at the block of flats where they both lived.

At Bolton Crown Court, Joshua Bowker, prosecuting, said the men both lived in flats in Nikita House on Manchester Road, Bolton.

They had been friends but a succession of arguments had led to Armistead claiming he was being harassed by Mr Hadcroft.

At 10pm on July 20 this year, Mr Hadcroft was in his flat watching TV when he heard a noise outside and opening the door he found Armistead shouting: “I’ll show you what I’m going to do.”

The defendant, who had no previous convictions, went into his flat and returned with a snooker cue which he swung at Mr Hadcroft shouting “come on, come on”.

He hit his victim with such force that the cue broke but he carried on striking Mr Hadcroft “five or six times” until another neighbour grabbed him in a bear hug and led him away.

Armistead, who admitted being drunk, told officers that Mr Hadcroft had been harassing him "for weeks” and “he deserved it”.

The victims was left with a 1.5inch laceration to his head and minor injuries to his arms and stomach.

James Preece, defending, said Armistead, who pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, had been the subject of harassment in the months leading up to the incident and felt “trapped in his flat”.

He said Armistead had returned home after a day out with his mother and was “under the influence of drink”.

Mr Preece added that he “bitterly regretted” the incident.

Enquires had taken place with the landlord about Armistead’s allegations and an office manager had corroborated much of what he had said.

Recorder Jeremy Lasker described the incident as an “unusual case”.

He said: “Something was said or done that made you completely lose it but almost immediately afterwards you regretted what you did.”

He handed Armistead, of Castle Street, Bolton, an eight month prison sentence suspended for 12 months and ordered him to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work.

“No one will benefit from sending you to prison,” he added.