Leonard Fionda, 76, is facing jail after lashing out at Joe Holland's head with the deadly weapon during an incident at Pigsty Avenue allotments in Springwell Road, Jarrow, on the afternoon of January 21.

Seconds after the attack, Mr Holland, 67, managed to use his mobile phone to contact his wife Mary, who discovered her injured husband soaked in blood.

Partially-deaf Fionda, who walks with a stick, sat in the witness box instead of the dock to help him hear the proceedings at Newcastle Crown Court yesterday.

He entered guilty pleas to charges of wounding with intent and possession of an offensive weapon.

Fionda also admitted a charge of damaging property in relation to Mrs Holland's car.

Sentence was adjourned until July 24 for the preparation of reports, and Fionda, of Calf Close Walk, Jarrow, was granted bail in the meantime.

But his victim Mr Holland, a retired pigeon fancier, of Ecfrid Terrace, Jarrow, speaking after the court hearing, said: "I'm glad he entered guilty pleas, so that Mary and I won't have to go through a court appearance.

"I always liked the bloke, and still don't wish him any harm. In fact, no one had a bad word to say about him.

"He was very friendly on the day of the attack, but he had a weapon with him all the time. I just hope he gets the right treatment."

But Mr Holland revealed that he has experienced "terrible feelings of anxiety" at night since the incident.

Mrs Holland, 56, also revealed that police fitted a panic button to their home following the allotment attack.

She added: "I am just relieved he pleaded guilty and we can start to get on with our lives.

"Joe always got on well with that man, but something must have happened in his head on that day."

Judge Esmond Faulks warned Fionda: "I am not giving you any promises about the sentence because, when all is said and done, what you did was an extremely serious thing."

Katherine Dunn, defending, said the court will receive psychiatric reports prepared on Fionda before the final sentencing hearing, as well as information from the governor of Durham Prison, where he spent time on remand after his arrest.

Miss Dunn said: "The governor of Durham prison where Mr Fionda was remanded for a period of time wrote to the court to explain some of the difficulties Mr Fionda faced while at Durham Prison.

"The defence intend to ask for further information from the governor of the prison to assist the court in sentencing."

But Miss Dunn said Fionda is realistic about the seriousness of the wounding charge he admitted, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.