A police officer who attacked a friend he believed was having an affair with his wife has escaped a jail sentence.

Daniel Symonds, a sergeant in the Metropolitan Police, dragged his wife Colleen out of bed intending to "give her" to Ian Saunderson at his nearby home in Maidstone.

He ended up going there alone and attacked Mr Saunderson.

But he walked free from Maidstone Crown Court after both his wife and Mr Saunderson wrote to the court asking for mercy.

Symonds, 32, was sentenced to six months imprisonment suspended for 18 months and ordered to do 200 hours unpaid work after admitting assaulting his wife by beating and assaulting Mr Saunderson causing actual bodily harm.

Mr Recorder Peter Gower told him: "In a few moments of madness you altered the circumstances of your life and those nearest and dearest to you forever.

"You genuinely believed your wife was having an affair with Mr Saunderson. It seems you were wrong to do so."

~ Read the full court report at kentmessenger.co.uk >>>

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