A noisy neighbour who slashed a man's face with a scythe has been jailed for four years.

Kenneth Whitear went berserk when Clayton Turner, 37, complained about the noise from his radio and television.

Whitear, 53, swung the 12in blade and left Mr Turner's eyebrow hanging by a thread of skin before biting him on the arm.

The former forklift truck driver, of Amundsen Road, Horsham, denied grievous bodily harm but was convicted by a jury at Lewes Crown Court.

He was cleared of a further charge of assaulting Mr Turner's wife Allyson, 36, and the couple's 12-year-old daughter.

Hours before the attack in January, Whitear, who is partially deaf and suffers from arthritis, was heard to shout "bully, bully" to Mr Turner in the street.

When Whitear appeared for sentence at Hove Crown Court yesterday he was described as a recluse with "chronic social inadequacies" who had never had a relationship with a woman and did not like meeting people.

He became even more withdrawn after losing his job eight years ago and the death of his father.

Jailing him, Judge Anthony Niblett said: "You struck Mr Turner with a single but savage blow to the head, leaving him with permanent scarring and blurred vision.

"Your action was deliberate and a callous explosion of violence which was out of character.

"You are a solitary, lonely and embittered man."

Psychiatric reports showed Whitear was not mentally ill but lacked social skills and could not interact with people.

His brother Alan addressed the court and accused the Turner family of "failing to assist" him.

He added: "My brother is not the only guilty party here."

Mr Turner said after the hearing: "It has been a year of hell for us since this attack.

"I am a train driving instructor and have not been able to return to work because I need 20/20 vision.

"My father-in-law's funeral was yesterday so, as you can imagine, it has been a difficult time.

"I was quite pleased with the sentence, considering I could have been killed or blinded.

"It's been hanging over us for a long time. We want to put it all behind us."