A CWMBRAN man was jailed for three years yesterday after admitting carrying out a hammer attack which left two men with fractured skulls.

Robert Connor (pictured) had become incensed because his heavily pregnant girlfriend had allegedly been assaulted, Cardiff crown court heard.

Connor, of Newport Road, Llantarnam, was jailed after pleading guilty to wounding Michael and Alan Devlin with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

Judge John Griffiths Williams told: "Clearly your motive was one of revenge." The court was told that Alan Devlin suffered injuries which were potentially life threatening and Michael Devlin is still recovering his full speech faculties.

Prosecutor Owen Williams said that on September 20 Michael Devlin had an altercation in Oliphant Circle, Malpas with Claire Preston, the girlfriend of Connor, who was eight and a half months pregnant. She suffered bruising.

Later the brothers were walking in the area when they were met by Connor, who heard of the attack.

Mr Williams said Connor hit Michael Devlin on the head with a hammer. Mr Williams said: "He slumped to the ground in a sitting position, he grabbed him by the shoulder and hit him two more times with a hammer."

Connor also hit Alan Devlin with a hammer, causing him to collapse, Mr Williams said. Connor raced into a crowd and fled, throwing the hammer away, the court was told. Both men were taken to the neuro-surgery department of the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff. Both had fractured skulls. Alan Devlin was also found to have a blood clot on the brain and was operated upon.

Marion Lewis, defending, said that Connor admitted both attacks but he had no recollection of them - and she said that a doctor believed his amnesia was genuine. She said: "He can't understand how he behaved as he did. He does not think he is capable of carrying out such attacks.

"Ordinarily he never takes a hammer from the house and he can't understand how he had it.

"The Crown cannot establish that the attack was premeditated." The victims, she said, who had been drinking heavily, were friends of Connor.

Miss Preston, said Ms Lewis, was seen being pulled to the ground with such force that she vomited.

The judge told Connor: "The most that can be said for you is that you overreacted when told your heavily pregnant girlfriend had been the victim of an assault."

There was no possible justification, the judge said, for him arming himself and carrying out the attack.