A revenge attacker has been jailed for breaking a man’s skull with a golf club and leaving him needing 70 staples for wounds in his head.

Matthew Carter picked up the club and lashed out at victim Curtis Soutar because he believed he had assaulted a woman friend and forced her out of her home.

He went to the house in Porthia Place, Exmouth, to evict him but then filmed parts of the prolonged beating which he handed out. The clips were then posted on social media by Soutar’s ex-girlfriend.

Carter can be heard in the clips threatening to kill or rapMr e Soutar and calling him a pussy as he left him with serious injuries in the street.

The golf club broke in half during the attack but Carter carried on lashing out with it and its jagged metal end caused terrible cuts which will leave the victim with permanent scars on his face.

Carter, 34, of Albion Street, Exmouth, admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent and was jailed for five and a half years by Judge David Evans at Exeter Crown Court.

He told him: "You were clearly intent at the very least on ejecting Mr Soutar from the premises. You were clearly very angry. He was intoxicated and asleep downstairs and you told him to leave.

"You did not give him much time to leave and once he refused the demand the attack began. You too were significantly intoxicated. Before he awoke, you armed yourself with a golf club.

"There is a real sense that in the course of the assault you were exacting revenge on behalf of your friend for what you believed Mr Soutar had done to her.

"You went on to engage in a prolonged, persistent assault which went far beyond the level of force needed to remove him from the house.

"I have seen the photographs which show the effects of the multiple swings you made with the golf club. There was a very complex skull fracture, a fractured arm, damage to the kidney and multiple lacerations on the back, head and forearms.

"You deliberately aimed blows with a golf club which split in half during the attack and you then carried on hitting his head and face, causing more harm. He needed 70 staples and some of the wounds were deep.

"He would have been aware that you were recording some of the incident and that only added to his utter humiliation."

Mary McCarthy, prosecuting, said the attack happened on the evening of February 24 this year when an old friend of Carter’s turned up at his home to complain she had been assaulted and thrown out of her own house by Mr Soutar.

Carter’s mother suggested calling the police but instead he went to the house and launched the attack with the golf club, which he may have picked up there.

Police were called by neighbours and found footage of the final moments of the attack on Carter’s phone some of which were already on social media.

The victim suffered a bleed on the brain and was transferred to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, where he remained for a week. He has made a good recovery but is likely to have a permanent scar on his forehead.

Warren Robinson, defending, said Carter admitted what he had done straight away and is genuinely sorry for it. He is doing well in jail, where he is about to get super-enhanced status and is tackling his substance abuse issues.

He said he had not gone to the house with the golf club but picked it up there. His initial intention was just to evict Mr Soutar but when he saw a damaged toy box he saw red and attacked him.