Stephen Henshaw, 39, assaulted love rival Jake Hamon after his wife, Tammy, said she was going to leave him for her ex-boyfriend and was taking their two young children with her.

Former estate agent Henshaw flew to the tiny Channel Island Alderney and beat up Mr Hamon so badly his jaw bone was left exposed and he had to spend the night in hospital.

Henshaw is back at home in Cedar Close, Grimsargh, near Preston, after he was spared jail.

He was sentenced to three months in prison, suspended for three years, after pleading guilty to unlawful and malicious wounding.

His brunette wife was back at the couple's semi-detached home on Monday but declined to comment, saying it was a "private matter".

A court in Alderney heard how Mrs Henshaw and Mr Hamon - her former boyfriend - had become reacquainted through the social networking site Facebook and began texting, emailing and talking on the phone.

She then told her husband she was leaving him and was moving to Alderney - the island where she lived until she turned 15 - to be with Mr Hamon.

Henshaw then travelled to Manchester and got on a plane to Guernsey before arriving in Alderney at midday on Friday May 2.

Paul Yabsley, prosecuting, told the court: "He immediately traced Mr Hamon to the harbour.

"He approached Mr Hamon while he was kneeling down and working on a boat.

"The defendant used his fists to strike Mr Hamon in the head, causing him to fall to the floor.

"As Mr Hamon was getting up, the defendant kicked him.

"This caused Mr Hamon to fall to the floor again, after which he was kicked in the back for a second time."

Seconds after the attack, the battered victim told Henshaw he had "got the wrong man".

As Henshaw left the harbour, he told Mr Hamon where he was going so police could arrest him. He was arrested at a friend's house and charged.

Mr Hamon needed eight stitches in his mouth and suffered bruising under his left eye and a scalp injury, as well as the jaw injury.

'Stressful events'

Mr Hamon also urinated blood, which Mr Yabsley said implied trauma to his right kidney.

Julia White, defending, said Henshaw had not travelled to Alderney for a fight.

She said: "He was not planning to beat up Mr Hamon and fly back to Manchester quickly in order to escape punishment.

"This incident is due to the culmination of many traumatic and stressful events.

"Since my client's wife has made contact with Mr Hamon, she has visited Alderney and subsequently returned to say their marriage is over.

"She also said she is prepared to leave him with their children, an eight-year-old boy who is autistic and a three-year-old girl.

"However, my client's wife has since said she intends to take the children with her to Alderney.

"This decision left my client feeling he has nothing to live for, as he recently lost his job as a result of taking time off work to care for the children while his wife was in Alderney."

Sentencing, Jurat Partridge - the Alderney version of a judge - said: "Your early guilty plea and previous good character were noted, but the Jurats cannot ignore the fact you carried out a deliberate assault."

Henshaw's father, who was sitting in the public gallery, wept as the verdict was announced.

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