A 35-year-old man was jailed yesterday for beating a man with a six foot galvanised pipe.

Dennis St. Claire Eugene Maynard was sentenced to three years ? two of which were suspended for two years.

Maynard, of Cedar Lane, Warwick, admitted that he used a pipe to beat Alvin Jones at the Warwick Shell Gas Station on January 12, 2004.

The Supreme Court heard Maynard and his family had been in a long running dispute with Mr. Jones.

The incident happened after Maynard was told that Mr. Jones allegedly caused his niece to be taken from the family by Child and Family Services.

Maynard heard the news while he was drinking vodka at his home and left for Warwick Shell Gas Station where Mr. Jones worked. He started yelling and cursing at Mr. Jones and then lifted a galvanised pipe he had brought.

Mr. Jones grabbed a chair to fend off the attack, which was broken when Maynard hit it with the pipe.

Maynard swung again and Mr. Jones held his arms up to protect himself, receiving bruises and cuts to his elbows. Maynard again swung the pipe and hit Mr. Jones on his right wrist. He managed to get away but then Maynard threw a car battery at him, which missed. Maynard then picked the pipe back up and struck Mr. Jones four times on the head.

Maynard fled the scene. Police arrived shortly afterwards and found the pipe nearby. Mr. Jones was taken to the hospital and received six stitches to a gash on his head.

Darrel Clarke, representing Maynard, said his client had never been incarcerated before and told Puisne Judge Charles-Etta Simmons that his client was provoked.

He said that Maynard awoke to a dispute between his mother, Mr. Jones and Mr. Jones? current girlfriend. He overheard the girlfriend call his mother a whore. The following day a family member told him that Mr. Jones had told Family Services she was an unfit mother and caused her child to be taken away from her. Mr. Clarke, attempting to get a suspended sentence for his client, said the attack was out of character for Maynard.

Mrs. Justice Simmons told Mr. Clarke: ?You can?t stand here and tell me he was provoked and use it as a mitigating factor. He should withdraw his guilty plea and go to trial with that defence.?

However, when she heard that a whole day went by before the attack happened she took back that recommendation and said: ?You?re telling me to suspend the sentence and I?m telling you I am not going to.? She said she did not believe the information was aggravating enough to justify the attack.

She sentenced him to 3 years imprisonment, but suspended two of them.

She characterised the attacks as ?wanton, vicious and deliberate? and said he had ?caused irreparable harm to any chance of peace? between the feuding families. In light of Maynard?s apology to the court and the victim, his good character and lack of previous incarcerations she said she was only sending him to jail for one year and the remaining two would be suspended for two years.

This means that if Maynard commits any crime during that two year period he will be immediately returned to Westgate and must serve the remaining two years of his sentence.