A man attacked two women in their 50s with a metal spanner, thinking one of them was dealing heroin to his brother.

Christopher Lewis, 38, shouted “you are dying tonight” at one of the women, when he barged into a house on Pine Street in Burnley on June 3 2022.

Preston Crown Court heard how another man, Daniel Fisher, who is the son of one of the victims, had accompanied Lewis and gained access to the property by banging on the door and his mum to let him in.

Hunter Gray, prosecuting, said: “Margaret Fielden was staying at the home of Marie Griffin in Pine Street and was woken in the early hours by a loud banging.

“Ms Griffin went to the window and saw it was her son Danny. She went downstairs and opened the door and was struck to the face with a spanner by Lewis.

“He said, ‘it’s your fault, you shouldn’t be selling drugs to my brother’.

“He then went upstairs and confronted Ms Fielden and dragged her out of the bedroom and struck her with the weapon to the rib cage and said, ‘you are dying tonight’.

“He then dragged her downstairs and into the kitchen, with Ms Fielden recalling that he had a smirk on his face.

“She managed to leave and hide and Lewis was later seen on CCTV putting a spanner in a vehicle.”

Ms Griffin suffered cuts and bruises to her face and Ms Fielden suffered fractures to two of her ribs and her vertebrae, as well as a laceration to her liver, and remained in hospital for 11 days.

Lewis, of Highfield Park, Haslingden, was arrested and admitted being at the property but denied any violence.

He eventually pleaded guilty to section 18 wounding with intent, possession of an offensive weapon and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, on the first day of trial.

Defending, Oliver Jarvis said his client’s last conviction was more than 10 years ago and since then he had started a family and a business, and his conduct was out of character.

Judge Ian Unsworth said: “Lewis believed that inside the house there was someone responsible for dealing heroin to his brother.

“He went there to remonstrate, and things got badly out of hand. He armed himself with a weapon and inflicted violence on two women.

“It was a terrifying incident for them given the level of violence and threats that were used.

“It was a relatively short-lived incident but nevertheless had a lasting effect upon the victims.”

Lewis was jailed for five years and three months and handed a 15-year restraining order with conditions not to go within 100m of Pine Street or contact any of his victims.