A 46-YEAR-OLD Stroud man who attacked his neighbour with a lump hammer, causing a head wound that bled profusely, was warned today that he faces a 'significant' jail term.

Christopher Edwards of Mathews Way, Paganhill, was already subject to a suspended prison sentence for affray and common assault when he hit Alan Middleton on the head with the heavy hammer on August 11, 2015.

At Gloucester crown court today Edwards faced a charge of wounding Mr Middleton with intent to do him grievous bodily harm. He denied that charge but pleaded guilty to a less serious alternative of assaulting Mr Middleton causing him actual bodily harm.

But he admitted the offence on the basis that he did not use the hammer as alleged and a 'trial of issue' had to be held for the judge, recorder Richard Smith QC, to hear evidence from both sides.

The recorder rejected Edwards' version of events and said he accepted that he had used the hammer. He remanded him in custody for three weeks for a pre-sentence report to be prepared and told him "You should prepare yourself for a significant custodial sentence."

In evidence, Mr Middleton said he was on the way from his flat in Mathews Way to collect his bicycle from a shed in the grounds when he saw Edwards.

Edwards, who lived in the flat below him, walked towards him and complained about the noise his partner's two children made when they visited twice a week, he said.

Mr Middleton said he told Edwards the girls did not make the 'scraping' noises he alleged.

"He then moved on and said something about us being grasses,' he said. "He told me 'You're a pair of grasses up there.' I thought it was a bit strange.

"He then said 'You'd better sort it out' , referring to the girls again, and added 'Sort it out with the f***ing council, or else.'

"I said to him the girls had not done anything. He came close to me and told me to f***ing sort it. His hand went to the handle of a big hammer he had on his tool belt.

"I pushed him in the face because I believed I was going to be attacked and I was trying to get some distance between us. I pushed his head away with quite a strong push.

"He came forward and punched me in the face with his right hand. I tried to push him away and my bike fell to the ground.

Then a brawl broke out.

"Then I noticed the hammer coming towards me and I ducked. I saw the hammer swinging again and it came at me wildly. It struck me a glancing blow on the head. I believe it also hit the back of my head."

He said he had a large bruise on the back of the head, his nose was broken and he was bleeding from a gash on his right temple. He went back to his flat and his partner Anne-Marie Crew called 999.

Cross-examined by Tim Burrows, defending, he denied he had been aggressive to Edwards and had punched him.

Edwards claimed he had been attacked and punched three times by Mr Middleton and he denied that he had made any use of the hammer. Mr Middleton's blood must have got on the hammer handle when it fell from his belt to the floor during the incident, he maintained.

After the judge ruled that Edwards did use the hammer prosecutor Oliver Willmott said he has previous convictions for battery and affray where he used a piece of wood as a weapon. He also had a previous conviction for assault causing actual bodily harm.

Mr Burrows told the court Edwards had been in custody since his arrest last August and had therefore already served the equivalent of a 12 months sentence. He said he accepted that a jail term looked inevitable but a pre-sentence report would help him with his mitigation, especially as Edwards had undergone psychiatric assessments in the past.