A businessman threatened to cut his love rival "in pieces" with a meat cleaver after breaking into his former girlfriend's flat.

Dennis Hooper, 51, later threw the cleaver into a river and told police who arrested him: "I just went crazy."

Chelmsford Crown Court heard how Hooper could not accept his six-year relationship with Christine Summers was over and persisted in trying to contact her.

She met new boyfriend Brian Delvalle and on March 12 this year, he visited her at her Coggeshall flat.

Shortly before midnight the doorbell began ringing continuously and as they thought it might be Hooper, they pretended they were not in.

Hooper broke into the flat, pulled a meat cleaver from inside his jacket and raised it above his shoulder and moved towards Mr Delvalle. Miss Summers intervened and a glancing blow cut through her trousers, causing a minor injury.

Hooper, of Church Street, Coggeshall, admitted charges of affray, threats to kill and common assault when he appeared in court for sentence.

Judge Gareth Hawkesworth jailed him for 12 months, suspended for two years, and told him to pay £300 compensation to Miss Summers and £640 costs.

He said there were exceptional circumstances which allowed him to suspend the prison sentence.

These included the fact he had acted out of character and was highly thought of and was normally a pleasant hard-working man.

Gareth Hughes, mitigating, said Hooper nursed hopes of reviving the relationship with Miss Summers when he went around to her flat.

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