A druid witch was attacked and stabbed by his neighbours after they had enough of his noisy pagan rituals, a court heard.

Mark and Anne Denyer attacked John Bennett as he conducted his latest back garden ceremony, which involved chanting and rhythmic beating of drums - something he did every full moon.

Denyer exchanged insults over the fence with Mr Bennett, who goes by the Pagan name Bearheart, before storming round to his bungalow with his wife

Mrs Denyer, 52, armed herself with an umbrella which she used to hit the bearded druid over the head with while her 56-year-old husband had grabbed a carving knife from the kitchen and made a "short jab" with it towards his victim.

Because Mr Bennett weighs 22 stone and has a "big belly" the blade didn't penetrate his abdomen and he suffered superficial injuries.

A court heard the Denyers had never been in trouble with the police before the incident in Alderholt, Dorset.

Denyer, a lorry driver, and his wife, denied charges of unlawful wounding but were found guilty following a trial at Bournemouth Crown Court.

They were handed suspended prison sentences by a judge who recognised they had become frustrated at the "intolerable noises coming yet again" from their neighbour's garden.