A man who put his lover in hospital for 10 days and ‘waterboarded’ her in a separate attack has been jailed for three years.

Stuart Barclay, 47, had been having an affair with the woman since they met through their children in March 2017.

On August 28 2019, the couple - who were both married - had been drinking at pubs around Ulverston before leaving at around midnight.

The court heard a row broke out between the pair about where Barclay was dropped off, as they did not want the woman’s husband to see them together.

The woman threatened to call the police as Barclay was drink driving, and Barclay began wiping his fingerprints off the steering wheel.

The prosecution said the victim then drove towards Barclays house, to make him believe she would tell his wife about their affair.

As she drove the Landrover Discovery back down the lane, Barclay was standing in the road. He was angry and accused the woman of trying to run him over.

Barclay, of North Lonsdale Road, Ulverston pulled the keys from the ignition and threw them towards some nearby bushes.

The woman got out of the car and Barclay charged at her, pushing her backwards into the rear windscreen, which shattered.

She then drove around the corner and parked the car near a farm shop, where she lay on the back seat for about an hour.

She then drove herself to hospital but after being told there would be a long wait to be seen, she drove home and returned the following day.

Doctors found she had a torn liver and a fractured spine, as well as bruises to her wrist and elbow. She stayed in hospital for 10 nights and was unable to work for two weeks or drive for three months.

Barclay was arrested and released on bail, with the condition he must not speak to the woman.

However their romance continued and on February 1 he attacked her again.

Preston Crown Court heard the pair had again been out for the night in Ulverston and had gone back to the house Barclay had moved to.

They had argued about him leaving his wife and at 7am Barclay pulled the duvet off the woman and told her to leave.

As the woman gathered her belongings, Barclay pulled her feet from under her, causing her to hit her head on the windowsill as she fell.

Barclay straddled her, pinning her to the floor and forced a face cloth into her mouth before pouring water over her face, telling her “remember this.”

The woman struggled and felt like she was drowning. She was extremely distressed, the court heard.

In a victim personal statement, she said: “It is hard for me to process that the person you love can behave this way.”

At the time of the second attack, Barclay was also serving a community order for assaulting his wife.

Sharon Watson, defending, told the court Barclay had slipped into depression after an accident in 2017 had put a stop to his physical hobbies, such as marathon running and rock climbing.

She said: “He is deeply sorry for the pain he caused. He does accept that pan was caused to someone he had been very close to.

Barclay was charged with wounding with intent and actual bodily harm. he has accepted he has issues with anger management and is willing to get help, the court heard.

Judge Sara Dodd, sentencing, said: “I accept you have anger management issues. You need to address these because until you do you pose a serious risk to women with whom you are in an intimate relationship with.”

She handed him an 18 month prison sentence for each offence, to run consecutively.