A noisy neighbour was found guilty of lashing out with a scythe at a father who asked him to turn down his blaring television.

Kenneth Whitear left Clayton Turner's eyebrow hanging by a thread of skin, Hove Crown Court was told.

Mr Turner, a train driving instructor, also suffered wounds to his hand and leg from the 12in blade.

Whitear, 53, of Amundsen Road, Horsham, who called his neighbour a bully, inflicted the wounds after Mr Turner complained about noise from his radio and television at 7.30am.

A jury yesterday found the former forklift truck driver guilty of grievous bodily harm with intent on January 15. Judge Anthony Niblett warned him he faces a substantial prison sentence.

He told him: "You could have killed Clayton Turner. You very nearly blinded him in one eye. You caused trauma to him, his wife and his children.

"I have little doubt you have put their lives in misery for some years. I doubt the Turner family will ever fully recover physically or psychologically.

"Kenneth Whitear, you are the bully."

Whitear, who is partially deaf and has learning difficulties, was coming home after shopping at Tesco's and shouted "bully, bully" to Mr Turner, who was in his garage, the court heard.

When Mr Turner later complained about noise from his neighbour's radio and television, Whitear attacked him with the scythe and bit him twice on his arm in the subsequent struggle, the court heard.

Mr Turner, 37, told the court his 12-year-old daughter Sian was also bitten when she tried to intervene.

He said Whitear thumped Mr Turner's 36-year-old wife Allyson twice on the head and ripped off her nightdress.

Whitear admitted biting Mr Turner but denied attacking him with the scythe, claiming he dropped it almost as soon as he picked it up due to arthritis in his fingertips.

Whitear, who uses a walking stick, said he hit Mrs Turner in the face once before she could attack him. He denied intentionally biting Sian, claiming he never saw her.

The jury cleared Whitear of assaulting Mrs Turner and the couple's daughter.

After the trial, Mr Turner said he was pleased the judge recognised it was Whitear who was the bully.

He said: "I could have been killed or blinded. My vision is still blurred so I can't go back to work yet as I need 20-20 vision to drive trains."

The judge remanded Whitear in custody. He ordered a psychiatric report before sentencing at Hove Crown Court on June 16.