Kenilworth man jailed after attacking man with vacuum cleaner tube

Neil Wake, 45, of School Lane, had denied wounding his victim with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm during the incident more than two years ago.

But on the day of his trial at Warwick Crown Court his plea of guilty to an alternative offence of malicious wounding was accepted by the prosecution.

And following an adjournment for a pre-sentence report to be prepared on him, Wake was jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Prosecutor Sophie Murray said that in June 2015 Wake’s wife was at the home of Edward Zagajewski and his partner when Wake phoned.

He lost his temper when he spoke to Mr Zagajewski’s partner, and there was then a heated row between him and his wife because he was demanding that she leave and come back because he had to go to work the following morning.

His wife was concerned because he was so angry, so Mr Zagajewski decided the best way to deal with it was for him to go to Wake’s home to speak to him to try to calm him down.

Miss Murray said: “When he got there, he knocked on the window and tried to see over the gate.

“But when Mr Wake came out, he had a pole with him, a hoover tube, and attacked him with it.”

Miss Murray said Wake had entered his guilty plea on the basis that he had lost his temper with Mr Zagajewski’s partner over the phone, but had not made any threats.

He claimed that Mr Zagejewski had ‘raised his voice’ when he arrived. Wake had become concerned, so went to the gate to tell him to go away, but then lashed out with the tube.

Wake added that Mr Zagejewski had come towards him, so he had hit him a number of times to the head with the hoover pipe.

Miss Murray said that assault led to Mr Zagejewski falling backwards into the fence, which he believed was how he injured his head.

She added: “Mr Zagajewski was covered in blood and very distressed. His head was split open, and he had to receive nine stitches to the wound.”

Miss Murray added that his vision and hearing were also damaged, although not permanently, and he also had bruising to his body as a result of the attack.

But Wake initially claimed he had been acting in self-defence, fearing he was about to be attacked.

Jailing Wake, who had a previous conviction for assault, Judge Sylvia de Bertodano told him the offence was too serious for a sentence that could be suspended.