A WEST Somerset man has been jailed for five years for an alcohol-fuelled attack in which he used a candle stick holder to beat a man across his entire body.

Timothy James, aged 36, of Friday Street, Minehead, pleaded guilty in Bristol Crown Court to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm on December 4 last year.

The Crown offered no evidence on a charge of attempted murder when the case was heard on Wednesday of last week (August 3).

The victim, Charles Cox, suffered multiple injuries all over his body.

Mr Cox told the court in an impact statement he had been left scarred and was now so anxious that he was on medication and had moved from his flat.

Proecuting, David Scutt said Mr Cox was banned from buying alcohol in Minehead’s Morrisons supermarket, so James had bought wine using Mr Cox’s credit card.

James then went back to his flat with Mr Cox and his girlfriend, where the trio all began drinking.

When Mr Cox and his girlfriend began kissing, James hit Mr Cox with a bottle and said: “I am going to kill you.”

James then went off, but came back with an iron implement, said to be a candle stick holder, with which he beat Mr Cox, who suffered multiple deep cuts and has been left with nightmares and anxiety.

The court heard Mr Cox left the flat and James locked the door, but when he heard his girlfriend scream he re-entered the premises and found James brandishing a large knife, although he did not use it.

Police who were called to the flat found James with blood on his hands and he told them he had attacked Mr Cox in order to protect the woman.

In mitigation, Sam Jones said in the days leading up to the attack James had suffered a significant decline in his mental health, which was aggravated by alcohol use.

He said while on remand in custody the wellbeing of James had notably improved and he was ‘a different man before the court today than the man I first met’.

Mr Jones said: “He has had issues with alcohol which he is committed to addressing.”

In passing sentence, Judge Martin Picton told James: “You set about your victim with a weapon of some kind and the effects of the severity of the blows are graphically depicted in the photographs of his injuries.

“The continuing effect of this on your victim, described in his victim personal statement, had a terrible effect on his life.”