A “cantankerous, arrogant and obsessive” old man who attacked his neighbour over a perceived parking dispute has been locked up for four-and-a-half years.

Defendant David Leavers, now 71, armed himself with a metal bar, then a spade followed by a saw as he attacked neighbour David Hughes, 51 at the village of Llan Ffestiniog in Gwynedd, North Wales.

One of the victim’s fingers was almost severed in the attack and a bone in another finger was fractured, and he needed emergency surgery.

He disarmed the pensioner of the iron bar and used that to try and defend himself, but the old man grabbed a spade and struck out repeatedly with it, causing the serious hand injury.

Injured and bleeding, the victim staggered back into his vehicle to seek refuge and it was then that Leavers grabbed a saw and set about his vehicle.

Leavers, convicted by a 10 to two majority at a trial last month, maintained his innocence and did not accept the guilty verdicts of wounding with intent and criminal damage to his car.

Judge Rhys Rowlands branded Leavers a cantankerous, arrogant and obsessive man who he said had made some bizarre allegations.

He said that old age could not be seen as some sort of shield to a custodial sentence but he took into account his age and ill-health and would therefore depart from the sentencing guidelines and reduce the sentence that would otherwise be imposed to one of four-and-a-half years.

The judge also made a ten year restraining order under which he is not to approach his victim or his mother.

Judge Rowlands said Mr Hughes, showed commendable and remarkable restraint during the attack last December but said that Leavers had shown “quite the opposite” and demonstrated “significant violence” despite his age and ill-health.

On the morning of 12 December, Mr Hughes wanted to move his car so that he could drive to the front of his home at Peniel Terrace, Llan Ffestiniog, to take his elderly mother for a birthday treat.

But Leavers blocked his car in with his own.

The judge said that whatever the rights or wrongs of the perceived parking grievance the defendant had, it was not a matter for the court although some of the claims he made were “bizarre and totally irrational”.

He added: “This case ought to serve as a warning to those who fall out with neighbours over trivial matters and then harbour an irrational grudge as no doubt you did.”

Leavers deliberately blocked his neighbour’s vehicle in and when asked to move out of the way, the defendant lost his temper, got out and took hold of a heavy iron bar. “You tried to hit him with it,” the judge said.

If he had succeeded then no doubt the consequences would have been very serious indeed.

Judge Rowlands said the victim was able to get away from him with great difficulty because of his injuries and tried to seek refuge in his vehicle.

Anna Price, prosecuting, told how the attack had a profound effect on the victim, his mother, and his father who had since died.

Mr Hughes needed surgery and underwent plastic surgery at a unit on Merseyside.

In addition to the physical scars, the still suffered the mental scars of what took place and needed counselling in the summer.

Simon Mills, defending, said his client maintained his innocence and did not accept the verdicts.

He said that his family, who were “delightful people”, were devastated, were very concerned for him, and were worried that he might not survive the prison sentence that he was about to receive.