A Mildenhall man who fractured his victim's skull with a claw hammer and left him with a permanent scar has been jailed.

Martin Quince, 43, of Market Place in the west Suffolk town, was sentenced after being convicted of grievous bodily harm, possession of drugs and an offensive weapon. 

The victim of the attack was hit over the head after Quince confronted him in an “unprovoked incident,” Judge Martyn Levett said.

Ipswich Crown Court heard a statement from the victim who described how seriously his life had been changed.

The statement read: “My life has completely changed not just for me. Four months after the incident I lost independence and had to rely heavily on my wife.”

Martin Quince was jailed at Ipswich Crown CourtMartin Quince was jailed at Ipswich Crown Court (Image: Suffolk Police)

On top of this, his hobby of lifting weights has been taken away from him.

He added: “Before the attack I trained in powerlifting and I competed. This has affected me and I can’t compete in powerlifting anymore.

“The gym is my outlet for stress relief and without this my mood has been affected.

“My appearance has been changed by a large permanent scar and I feel anxious around heavily drunk people."

He added: “My wife is also victim and is still traumatised. We now have a general mistrust of society.”

Defence barrister Edward Renvoize said there was “relatively scant mitigation” for Quince but added he had led a very unsettled life and from a very young age had lacked access to any support mechanisms.

Judge Levett addressed the defendant, who shook his head as the sentence was given, and said: “You do pose a high risk to the public.

“You’ve used violence in the past and you’ve used it in the present. You can be unpredictable and impulsive due to your use of cocaine."

Quince was then jailed for 10 years with an extended licence period of five years.