A 44-year-old man who battered his wife with a rounders bat when she said their marriage was over has been jailed for a minimum of four years.

Phillip Anthony Cowell, of Old Romney, near Hythe, had earlier pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

He admitted attacking his wife, Faith Cowell, in June 2005. The couple had been married for 13 years.

The officer in the case, Det Insp Gavin Moss, who was at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday when the sentence was handed out, said: "Faith Cowell was a victim of a serious and vicious assault while she lay asleep and defenceless in her bed.

"I would like to pay tribute to this remarkable lady who has been subjected to a dreadful ordeal and hope that the sentence will mean she can now put the events of the past year behind her and move on with her life.”

FULL STORY IN THE THURSDAY, MAY 18, EDITION OF THE KENTISH EXPRESS