A former international teacher subjected a woman to an unprovoked attack with a walking stick in her own home, York Crown Court heard.

The woman had provided Adrian Mann, 66, a roof over his head when he became homeless, said Lydia Carroll, prosecuting.

She feared he would kill her as he hit her many times on the head in an unprovoked attack, the court heard.

The onslaught left her with months of medical problems, including a frequently bleeding head injury, and terrified of being at home.

“My home no longer feels like home,” she said in a victim personal statement, in which she also described her mental health problems.

Mann, now of Changing Lives hostel for the homeless, Union Street, York, pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm.

David Ward, defending, said Mann had said: “I have no real explanation why I lost my temper, I just did.”

“He is the last person you would expect to be involved in this sort of thing,” said the defence barrister. “He is absolutely remorseful about his behaviour on this day.”

York Crown Court heard Mann had three degrees including in English and Latin and had taught English at secondary schools around the world.

Mann was made subject to a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months on condition he does 15 days’ rehabilitative activities.

He was not ordered to pay compensation as he lives on benefits.

He had previous convictions for affray, criminal damage and having a hammer as an offensive weapon in 2009 in what Mr Ward said had been a dispute between neighbours.

Ms Carroll said Mann and the woman had been drinking at the woman’s Acomb house with a friend on June 10, 2022.

Mann claimed he had cut the land phone line and he was the “new Jamie”, Jamie being the woman’s recently deceased partner.

He put a pair of scissors to his neck and the woman, worried about his behaviour, ran upstairs to the friend to ask him to phone police on his mobile. She didn’t have her own mobile.

Mann followed and attacked the woman.

Police called by the friend arrested Mann and at the police station, he held up a hand and said: “This is the hand I used to inflict violence.”

Mr Ward said Mann had fallen on hard times around the turn of the century and become homeless. He had no previous convictions until 2009.

If he had stable accommodation he could sort out his life. Mann had been offered public sector housing, but turned it down because he expected to be jailed for the attack and didn’t want to deprive someone else of a home, said Mr Ward.