An East Lancashire man hit his victim over the head with a hammer after he believed the man had been stalking his sister.

Preston Crown Court heard how Joshua Houlgrave, of Walmsley Close, Accrington, hit his victim with a hammer on Sunday, February 18.

Nasima Patel, prosecuting, told the court that Houlgrave, 28, attended a property in Maritime Way, Preston, believing his victim was there.

The victim, Jonathan Corbeck, had been at his friend's house from 5pm to watch a football match on television.

At 9.30pm, Houlgrave and another man entered the property with a hammer and a cosh, asking the group of friends "who is Johnny?".

Replying to Houlgrave, Mr Corbeck identified himself, after which the pair then began to attack him.

Mr Corbeck's friends fled the property, with the assailants shouting "where is the watch?" and "give us your bag".

The victim didn't know the answers to Houlgrave's questions, but his bag was stolen during the attack, which contained £90 cash, a phone charger and his house keys.

Houlgrave then fled the scene with the other attacker.

When Mr Corbeck was able to escape the property, he alerted the neighbours to call emergency services, and said the attack "may have lasted a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity."

Injuries he suffered during the assault included a fractured knee cap, calf bone, and wrist, and deep cuts to his forehead and back of his head.

Houlgrave was arrested on February 20, and gave the police "no comment" at interview, except to deny the charges in a pre-arranged statement.

He later pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary, with his mitigation including that he thought the victim had been stalking his sister.

Further mitigation for Houlgrave told the court he had been in and out of care his whole life. His foster parents were present in court to support him, and a psychiatric report was presented to the court to detail the effects his upbringing have had on him.

He had seven previous convictions for 15 offences, including attempted burglary, possession of a controlled drug, and driving without insurance.

Recorder Ayesha Siddiqi sentenced Houlgrave to a total of six years and eight months in custody.

She said: "You do not need me to tell you how terrifying it must have been for him to be attacked in this way."