A VICIOUS thug who set about his love rial with a fencepost after invading a house in Nelson in the early hours, has been locked up for five years.

Kraig Mellor, 33, had turned up at the property in Highfield Crescent at 4.30am, after his former partner Laura Patten, who he had recently split up with, had contacted him. She had told him she was in a relationship with her ex, Kieron Wright, with whom she had two children.

Mellor repeatedly hit Mr Wright with the two-and-a- half foot weapon.

He had siunk his teeth into his earlobe, separating the skin, as several petrified children cowered and sobbed in the bedroom above.

Burnley Crown Court heard how the victim was heard shouting 'Help me, help me' during the onslaught at the hands of the defendant, who had found him dozing on the sofa in the front room.

He suffered head injuries including bruises and multiple lacerations and a judge said it was lucky he didn't die from the blows rained upon him.

Mellor, who is from Nelson, and lived there until moving to Cumbria with Ms Patten, admitted aggravated burglary and inflicting grievous bodily harm, on January 28. He has 74 offences on his record, including several for violence.

Richard Taylor, for Mellor, described him as a 'simple man, both of mind and deed.' He and Laura Patten had started a new life in Cumbria, things didn't work out and Ms Patten decided to come back Nelson.

She contacted the defendant to say she had cheated on him with Mr Wright.

She accepted there would have been a reaction, but it was not suggested she had in any way anticipated the reaction there was.

Mr Taylor said that Mellor ‘brooded’ at his grandmother's, was unable to sleep and at 4.30am, decided to go round to the house.

Sentencing, Recorder Anthony Cross, QC, said there must have been some premeditation as Mellor had gone into the house armed and there was a significant element of control.

Recorder Cross said: "It's lucky for you that none of the blows that you delivered caused him injuries that could have led to his death."