A police officer who took revenge after believing his wife was having an affair with a friend 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 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.

Maidstone Crown Court heard Symonds and his wife had been friends with Mr Saunderson and his partner.

Alex Wilson, prosecuting, said the victim and his partner separated and he struck up a relationship with Mrs Symonds.

“He says it was a platonic relationship consisting of texts and the like,” said Mr Wilson, adding that Symonds suspected a sexual relationship.

Symonds and his wife held a fireworks party on November 11 at their home in Kilndown Close, Maidstone.

During the evening, Symonds discovered a large number of text messages from Mr Saunderson on her mobile phone.

After the party he confronted his wife and dragged her out of the house in her dressing gown.

As she screamed he told her: “What do you expect when you sleep with another man?”

“His intention was to go to Mr Saunderson’s house to give her to him,” said Mr Wilson. “You may as well have her, I don’t want her - that kind of sentiment.”

Symonds went to the house alone and found Mr Saunderson asleep on the sofa. He woke up to find Symonds standing over him.

“Before he could move, he felt a whack to the side of his face,” said the prosecutor.

Mr Saunderson’s son, aged 13, came downstairs and kicked out at Symonds.

Alistair Williamson, defending, said Symonds had received an anonymous letter saying his wife was having an affair.

She denied it but he left home. She persuaded him to return. He then found the text messages. One said: “I adore you.”

He asked his wife if she had slept with Mr Saunderson and believed her reply indicated she had.

“What he did cannot be condoned,” said Mr Williamson. “But what man cannot understand the emotions that must have been going through his mind?”He added: “If a man meddles in another man’s marriage, in a sense he may be the author of his own misfortunes.”

The victim wanted to retract his police statement but after Symonds pleaded guilty he declared he had suffered enough and lost his job.

Mrs Symonds wrote to the court saying she needed her husband back.

Because of bail conditions, Symonds moved to Plymouth, with his children and his wife was planning to join him.

Symonds, who joined the police in 2001 and was one of the youngest officers to be promoted to sergeant, has resigned and plans to become a health and safety officer.

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.

“It follows you were as any man would have been, sorely provoked. That doesn’t begin to excuse what you did. It does go some way to explaining it.

“Those few moments of madness have put to an end a distinguished career in the police force. That is considerable punishment in itself.”