A convicted killer who battered his wife's lover to death told today how hard it has been.

He spoke of how his attempts to rebuild his life have been blocked by employers across Sussex.

Former railway worker Mark Stanbridge was jailed in 1996 after being convicted of the manslaughter of his 51-year-old neighbour, Michael Holley. Mr Holley, of Crabtree Avenue, Hollingbury, Brighton, died two hours after Mr Stanbridge attacked him with a pair of garden shears outside his home.

Lewes Crown Court heard how Mr Holley had been having an affair with Mr Stanbridge's wife, Veronica, for eight years. Trial judge John Gower described Mr Stanbridge as a 'man of peace' and said he had been subjected to extreme provocation.

Speaking publicly for the first time since his release from Lewes Prison, Mr Stanbridge said he was trying to rebuild his life and had served his debt to society. He told how he had re-educated himself and gained qualifications, but received nothing but rejection letters from prospective employers.

Mr Stanbridge said: "I have never been in trouble before or since that day and I can offer an employer commitment, hard work and honesty. Unfortunately, at the moment, no one wants to know."

He has been advised to lie about his past when filling in application forms, but has chosen not to. He said: "They will only find out sooner or later. I fill in forms honestly and sometimes include Argus cuttings of my trial, but I know it will ruin my chances."

The National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders today backed Mr Stanbridge. An association spokesman said: "It would be unjust and counter-productive for an employer to exclude someone from a job because they have committed a murder or manslaughter.

"The majority of people who have committed such crimes are very unlikely to re-offend and therefore pose a very low risk to the public."

The killing took place a month after Mrs Stanbridge moved out of the family home with the couple's three daughters and had started legal proceedings to have her husband evicted.

He was taking his frustration out on the garden hedge, that Mr Holley would slip through to see his wife, when Mr Holley appeared and barged into Mr Stanbridge, saying he had just enjoyed attending Mr Stanbridge's daughter's birthday party.

A fight broke out and Mr Stanbridge was seen hitting the victim on the head with garden pruners. Mr Stanbridge, now divorced from Veronica and living in Peacehaven, said he hit Mr Holley in self defence. He said: "I paid my debt for what I did, but it seems I still have to pay."

Mr Stanbridge attended Lewes Tertiary College after leaving prison until early last year and gained GCSE B grades in sociology and English language and NVQs in information technology and administration. Organisations which have turned him down for office jobs include the Benefits Agency which, in its rejection letter, reminded him that his conviction would never be spent.

He is now a volunteer at the Unemployed Workers Centre in Hollingdean, Brighton. Mr Stanbridge said: "I sometimes wish I had let Holley finish me off. What I did saved my life, but what for? I want something to do with it."

l If you are interested in offering Mr Stanbridge a job, contact the Argus newsdesk on 01273 544517.

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