A CHURCH-going pensioner who subjected his wife to a horrifying attack at the marital home has been jailed for 20 months and ordered to pay her £2,000 compensation.

Edward Moreton, 69, attacked wife Angela, 73, at their home in Leeson Drive, Ferndown, after she found out about his affair with her best friend and filed for divorce.

Bournemouth Crown Court heard that Moreton tried to strangle her three times and banged her head repeatedly on concrete when she made a run for her neighbour's house on December 3 last year.

Mrs Moreton suffered head injuries, bruising to her ribs and abdomen and had to have an eye operation because it was bruised and had haemorrhaged.

Moreton pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm on his wife but was cleared of attempted murder and GBH with intent by a jury at Bournemouth Crown Court.

Moreton told the jury that he "snapped like an elastic band" after six weeks of overhearing conversations between his wife and her daughter Beverley Myerovitz in which he said Mrs Myerovitz made "derogatory remarks" about him.

Defending, Robert Griffiths said that the pre-sentence report stated that Moreton does not pose a risk to the general public, the only possible risk being if he and his wife should get back together.

He said: "The assault that did take place was against the background of a 26-year relationship in which Mrs Moreton accepted he never raised a hand to her. He doesn't need to be in prison for any great length of time to reinforce the message what will happen if he gets into trouble again."

Judge Samuel Wiggs told Moreton: "I am concerned that you don't fully accept responsibility for what you did to your wife.

"To bring anyone to the ground, particularly a lady of that age, someone to whom you have been married for many years, is a serious matter."