A JILTED husband who drove through the night from Scotland to plead with his wife to join the family holiday caught her in their own home with her lover, a court heard.

In anger Ian Cropper-Joyce violently set upon his love rival - whom he had previously threatened with violence - and in the struggle that followed left him with injuries including fractures to his skull and face.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that "the red mist" descended when he found wife Sandra with Kevin Beard, whose wife had told him about the couple's three-month romance just two weeks earlier.

The couple's relationship had been strained since he learnt of the affair and on March 31 this year he and their two teenage sons went on their annual trip to a lodge in Scotland with neighbouring friends but Sandra did not go, said Simon Duncan, prosecuting.

After arriving in Scotland her husband repeatedly sent her texts asking her to join them for the sake of the children but about 8pm she stopped responding, went out with friends and met Mr Beard.

She and Mr Beard, 46, went back to her home about 3.45am and while she went upstairs to the bathroom he went to use the downstairs toilet.

But unbeknown to her the defendant had travelled back to the house, leaving their sons with the friends.

"When she went to the bathroom the defendant leapt over the bannister rail and ran to the downstairs toilet shouting, 'Kevin, it's Ian'," said Mr Duncan.

Mr Beard was adjusting his clothing and Cropper-Joyce, a 47-year-old factory worker, shut the door behind him, they grabbed each other and Mr Beard felt his rival "trying to gouge his eyes."

The victim grabbed his hands to stop him but the defendant began punching him to the side of the head though could not get much force behind the blows because of the confined space.

Mr Beard head butted him in self-defence and Sandra Cropper-Joyce managed to get into the toilet and pull her husband away.

"In the hallway he punched her to the face knocking her to the ground and the two men continued to fight."

This moved into the dining room and Mr Beard, who was dazed, bleeding and only has a hazy recollection of events, fell to the floor "at which point the defendant stamped on his head a number of times.

"The defendant then grabbed a wine bottle and held it above his head as if to strike but Sandra get in-between them and pushed the defendant back against the wall.

"She managed to persuade him to give up the bottle and she left the house with Mr Beard and called the police" said Mr Duncan.

Police arrived about ten minutes later at the house in Brookhurst Road, Bromborough, and found Mr Beard dazed and drifting in and out of consciousness and an ambulance was called.

They knocked at the house and when the defendant opened the door it was obvious he had been cleaning up the blood with bleach.

Cropper-Joyce, who was bleeding from his nose and had scratches to his head, was arrested but made no reply.

By this time Mr Beard's condition had deteriorated so the police drove him straight to hospital.

He had suffered a fracture to the side of his skull and to his right eye socket as well as cuts, swellings and bruises to his head, around his eyes and top lip and he was kept in hospital for 48 hours for observations.

Mr Duncan said that 43-year-old Sandra had a swollen lip and bruising to her left arm.

In an impact statement Mr Beard said that he has since been suffering debilitating headaches and has to take medication to cope.

He said he "expected some backlash from the defendant given the circumstances but did not expect what unfolded."

He added that he is self-employed and had lost about £1,000 in income and is worried about what might happen in future.

The defendant's wife, a local business woman, said that she had suffered emotionally and financially.

In the days leading up to the incident her husband had served her with divorce papers and she, like Mr Beard, is concerned about what might happen in the future.

Cropper-Joyce, 47, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm to Mr Beard and assault by beating to his wife.

Ken Heckle, defending, said that the attack had not been premeditated and the defendant had driven through the night to ask his wife to join the family holiday.

On getting back to the house and seeing the couple getting out of a taxi "he lost it."

He was a hard-working man who had been married for 26 years and on seeing the couple arrive at his matrimonial home "in those few seconds a red mist descended."

"He is not proud of what he has done and appreciates there is a price to be paid."

Mr Heckle said that he is a devoted dad and has spent four weeks on remand in Walton prison and did not wish to return there.

"He wants to put this episode behind him."

Sentencing Cropper-Joyce to 22 months imprisonment suspended for two years Judge Clement Goldstone, QC, said that when he had discovered his wife was in a relationship with Mr Beard: "You did not take it well - that is an understatement.

"You threatened violence via your wife to Mr Beard and your relationship with your wife became strained."

The Recorder of Liverpool said that the break-up of their marriage may have come "as a bolt from the blue" to him but sadly it happened in many other homes but did not result in such violence.

He said that the assault was not the way to win his wife back and it had been "a sustained attack by you upon Mr Beard and one which involved the use of a weapon, namely your feet."

The judge ordered him to pay Mr Beard £2,000 compensation, £600 prosecution costs and to carry out 200 hours unpaid work and up to 30 days' rehabilitation activities.