A man who battered his neighbour to death in a row over a dog was today beginning a four year jail sentence for manslaughter.

Matthew Stubbs used window cleaner, Peter Smith (pictured), as a "human punchbag" as they argued over Mr Smith's mongrel dog, Tupac, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Mr Smith, 27, died in hospital from a brain haemorrhage following the sustained attack.

Yesterday Stubbs, 25, now of Moor Lane, Birkenshaw, pleaded not guilty to murder but admitted manslaughter.

After the hearing Mr Smith's 23-year-old girlfriend Sarah Lovatt said the sentence was far too short for robbing her two-year-old daughter Bephanie of her father.

"Stubbs has taken a life and he could be out in three years," she said.

"Peter will never see his little girl grow up. He was the love of my life. I will never meet anyone like him again.

"I still expect him to walk through the door and tell me everything is all right."

She said her boyfriend and Stubbs had taken an instant dislike to each other when their neighbour moved to Thurston Gardens in Allerton after coming out of prison earlier this year.

"Matthew was always winding Peter up, particularly over the dog. If they hadn't come to blows when they did, it would have happened some other time," she said.

In court, Roger Thomas QC, prosecuting, said the two men had fallen out in September last year over Mr Smith's dog.

He said an argument had broken out outside Ley Top Primary in November when Stubbs punched Mr Smith, who was using crutches because of a broken toe.

Mr Smith then followed Stubbs back to his home, throwing his crutches and mobile phone to the ground before shouting and swearing at Stubbs inside.

Stubbs came out and argued back. At some stage he armed himself with a kitchen knife and was heard to threaten to kill Mr Smith, said Mr Thomas.

He then rushed outside and "set about" Mr Smith.

"He hit out at Peter Smith a number of times," said Mr Thomas. "He was knocked to the floor."

Passing sentence, Judge James Stewart QC said it was a "sustained attack on a defenceless man," but he accepted that the violence had not been premeditated.

He told Stubbs: "Clearly, had the deceased not behaved in the way in which he did he would be alive to this day but you reacted in a grossly excessive, violent manner.

"The death was caused as a result of approximately five blows to the head and to the face with your fists. I accept you showed remorse, but you are a man with a record of violence who is prepared to use violence to suit your own ends."

David Fish QC, mitigating, said Stubbs had not intended to kill Mr Smith or cause him serious injury.

"There was some threatening behaviour from Mr Smith clearly wishing to continue the argument and being provocative in the widest sense," he said.

Judge Stewart sentenced Stubbs to four years in jail and also ordered he serve 179 days outstanding from a previous sentence for burglary.

Outside the courtroom, Stubbs' father, Colin, offered his sympathies to Mr Smith's family, describing the incident as a "tragedy".

"My son has been painted out to be some sort of animal and he is not like that at all," he said.

"He was defending himself."