A man took revenge on a relative after believing his drunken son’s account of receiving a beating.

Darren Stewart, 42, had been sleeping at his home in Dymchurch Road in April last year when he was told his teenage son had been attacked.

Canterbury Crown Court heard how he then went to his cousin Lee Coleman’s home, armed himself with a metal pole and beat him up.

But jailing Stewart for two and a half years after he admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent, Judge Simon James told him: “This was a revenge attack and in a civilised society it cannot be tolerated for people to take the law into their own hands!

“I am prepared to accept you genuinely believed Mr Coleman had attacked your son but nothing can justify an attack of this ferocity.”

Prosecutor Ian Foinette said Mr Coleman had been going home after a night at the Three Mariners pub in Hythe.

“He came across the defendant’s son who was the worse for drink. He made some effort to help him but believed his behaviour was out of order.”

Mr Coleman told police he was confronted by two teenagers, one who seemed drunk and aggressive.

“At the time he hadn’t recognised him as the son of his cousin but after being told who he was, tried to calm him down. But he got worse and ended up on the ground, he said.

The teenager went to his sister’s home who told their father – who then headed to Mr Coleman’s home and attacked him.

“He began striking the victim around the body and head with the pole as Mr Coleman tried to block the blows,” added Mr Foinette.

A neighbour heard the commotion and went to help Mr Coleman and bandaged his head.

The 38-year-old victim was taken to hospital and received six stitches to two head wounds.

Paul Hogben, defending, said that when Stewart went to see his son he found himself “in a very bad way”.

“His son had clearly been assaulted. His lips were swollen and his mouth was covered in blood. He also had a footprint on his face. He was hysterical and he was crying and he said he had been assaulted.”

Mr Hogben pleaded for mercy asking whether it was right for an honest and decent man who made a mistake to go to prison and lose his employment which would cause further distress to his family.