It started with a row over cat poo and ended with him splitting her head open with a bat

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A neighbour has been jailed after splitting a woman's head open with a bat in a row over cats pooing in his garden. John Hoyle, 62, and the victim had been involved in disputes before over allegations he had made about her cats defecating in his garden, Leeds Crown Court heard on Friday But on September 3 last year Hoyle noticed some damage to his car and turned violent.

Prosecutor Holly Clegg said: "At around 6.30am the woman was asleep at her home address when she heard a loud shout. The front window had been shattered by the defendant.

It is fair to say they had been involved in a number of neighbour disputes for a long time. "When she went outside that morning, the defendant was standing holding a wooden bat and accusing her of scratching his car." Hoyle, Hoyle, of Westfield Grove in Dewsbury,, proceeded to attack the woman with the bat, causing her head to split open.

Ms Clegg said shocking CCTV footage showed the attack, during which Hoyle hit her a "number of times." The prosecutor said: "At first he threw it at her before picking it up and hitting her to the head.