A Wirral man who poured boiling water over a vulnerable neighbour was today jailed for 40 weeks.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that Darryl Crusoe deliberately planned to attack his neighbour and lured him to the scene.

The men both live in the same block of flats and on June 27 last year, Crusoe shouted for his victim to come up the stairs.

52-year-old Crusoe had a kitchen kettle with him and he asked: "Are you ready for it?" said Ian Harris, prosecuting.

"In fact, what the defendant did then was to throw the contents of boiling water at the victim. It was boiling hot water and it caused great pain.”

The neighbour suffered a 15cm by 15cm patch of burning to the top of his arm and he also suffered a cut to his head during the incident.

Crusoe, of Clifton Avenue, Eastham, initially claimed he was acting in self-defence, but later admitted assault causing actual bodily harm.

Jailing him Recorder Sonia Gal said: “The public at large must not think you can go around attacking people, pouring boiling water over them, and not be punished in this way.”

Defence barrister David Watson said that since the incident Crusoe, who has previous convictions, had lived alongside his neighbour without any problems.