A carpenter left a retired magistrate with a fractured cheekbone and eye socket after hitting him with a piece of wood amid a neighbour dispute in a picturesque village, a court heard.
Christopher Wellman, 36, was doing some work at his mother-in-law's house with an electric saw when neighbour Colin Prior approached him to complain about the noise.
A judge heard Wellman lashed out, taking a 'long back swing' with the piece of 3in X 4in wood and hitting the pensioner to the side of the head as his wife Helen, 73, watched on in horror.
The blow left 76-year-old Mr Prior bloodied and bruised - as well as the fractures his ear was split 'essentially in half'.
Mr Prior, a retired BT engineer, driving examiner and former magistrate, said both he and his wife were psychologically impacted by the horrifying assault 'on their doorstep.'
A judge sentenced Wellman to a 14-month prison term, suspended for 18 months, and ordered him to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and pay £5,000 compensation to Mr Prior over the 'unprovoked, unjustified and appalling' assault.
The court heard there had been ill-feeling between Wellman's family and the Priors for some time over a planning dispute.
Wellman's partner Poppy Crisp set up a massage and wellness business in the garden of her mother's thatched cottage home at Walditch, a Dorset village in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Colin Prior suffered multiple injuries after the assault by Christopher Wellman in March last year
Christopher Wellman pictured leaving court on Tuesday with partner Poppy Crisp
Wellman was working at his mother-in-law's home, pictured left, when he attacked Mr Prior, who owns the property on the right
The Priors live in the cottage immediately next door and the two neighbours share an entrance way.
When Miss Crisp submitted a planning application to legitimise the business the Priors objected, complaining about her clients peering in through their window and invading their privacy.
Stuart Ellacott, prosecuting, said the violence erupted after Mr Prior returned home from a walk on March 26 last year to find Wellman doing some work by the shared entrance with music 'blaring'.
After Wellman turned the radio off he started working with an electric saw and Mr Prior went out to confront him about the noise.
Mr Ellacott said: 'He walks out, lifted the ear defender and said 'you're being silly'. The defendant put his ear defender back on, ignored Mr Prior and carried on.
'Mr Prior put his foot on the machine. When he did that Mr Wellman started puffing out his chest, confronting him within his personal space, looking enraged.
'He shouted 'c**t' before swinging a large piece of wood, a 3x4, round with both hands, delivering a long back swing which struck the right side of Mr Prior's face and ear, causing Mr Prior to fall sideways'.
Bournemouth Crown Court heard on Tuesday how the pensioner fell against a metal gate which caused an injury to his shoulder.
Mr Prior was left with blood pouring from a laceration to his right ear
Colin and Helen Prior outside Bournemouth Crown Court. Mr Prior said he had expected Wellman to be jailed
Mr Ellacott added: 'He was taken to hospital in an ambulance and had a 3-4cm laceration to his ear, two fractures to the right cheekbone and wall of the orbit round the eye socket.'
Mr Prior told the court the assault had a 'profound' effect on him and his wife and left him suffering headaches.
He described having to sleep sitting upright in a chair for three weeks due to his ear and facial injuries and said they remain tender a year later.
Mr Prior said: 'Helen saw me slump to the ground and did not know if I had survived such a blow to the head.
'It continues to cause her flashbacks, she worries I could so easily have died on the doorstep of our property that day, ending our 53 years of marriage.'
He added that after that the couple had not felt comfortable going back to the Walditch property, their second home, and had returned to their other house in Hampshire instead.
John King, defending Wellman, pointed out it was a 'dangerous act' when Mr Prior touched the saw and said Wellman reacted spontaneously.
He added: 'He is extremely hard working and contributes to the local neighbourhood and charities. He is a hard-working decent man, this was a one-off incident unlikely to recur.
'He regrets very much what has happened.'
Wellman admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent.
In sentencing him, Recorder Tom Day said: 'You were 35 at that time, Mr Prior was 40 years older than you, having had surgery to his nose and issues with his back. You struck him in that way causing extremely serious injuries.
'There is no explanation and no justification for your conduct.
'There is no mitigation in the fact Mr Prior sought to remove your ear defender or interacted with your tools in some way.
'This was unprovoked, unjustified and appalling. You are a young, strong, healthy man who attacked a 75-year-old.'
Recorder Day made a restraining order preventing him from contacting the Priors or going to Walditch for five years.
Speaking after the case, Mr Prior said he had expected Wellman to be jailed and was disappointed he wasn't charged with GBH with intent.
He added: 'The restraining order was important to us for peace of mind. With the compensation, it was never about the money but I suppose that is the part that will hurt him more than anything.'