A FURIOUS son who thought the father of his ex-girlfriend was attempting to rekindle an affair with his stepmother went to his house and whacked him with a pool cue.

Preston Crown Court heard Barry Willers suffered a wound to the back of his head in the attack by David Irwin on April 1.

Irwin was jailed for five years after Recorder Mark Ainsworth was told the 30-year-old had a history of dishing out violence.

In 2012 Irwin was jailed for 20 months for a brutal one-punch attack on a man in a pub after he was said to have drunk 20 pints of beer.

Referring to Irwin's latest assault, prosecutor David Clarke said the defendant had been in a relationship with Mr Willers' stepdaughter between 2005 and 2009 and things had previously been perfectly friendly between the two men.

Mr Clarke said that changed in 2015 when Mr Willers had an affair with Irwin's stepmother.

The court heard Irwin's father's thought the affair had been rekindled in April and that drove the defendant to go to the victim's home in Amersham Grove, Burnley, armed with the bottom half a pool cue.

Mr Clarke said: "Around 4.30pm on April 30 Mr Willers was at home with his wife. She was taking a shower upstairs.

"He heard a bang at the kitchen window but when he looked there was nobody there. He made his way to the front door. The defendant entered the address.

"It was seen by Mr Willers the defendant had the bottom half of a pool cue in his hand. That was swung at Mr Willers more than one. It missed. As he was backing away up his own stairs he was shouting at his wife that the defendant was in the house and had a weapon.

"By the time they had got to the bedroom the defendant was standing in front of Mr Willers and hit him to the back of the head with the cue. Mr Willers turned and the object was swung again. He had his arm up to protect his head from further blows."

The court heard that Irwin, of no fixed address, then ran off and Mr Willers was left with a two-inch wound which had to be glued.

In a statement to police Mr Willers said he feared Irwin could have killed him.

He said: "I haven't done anything to warrant this. I am in total shock. I am scared of what the future holds."

Irwin, who has 12 previous convictions for 18 offences, pleaded guilty to GBH and possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.

Defending, Mark Stuart said his client had managed to stay out of trouble since his 2012 conviction and knew he had let himself down.

An indefinite restraining order was imposed banning Irwin from contacting Mr Willers and his wife.