A judge has sentenced a 38-year-old Bradford man to life imprisonment after he injured two friends with a camping axe.

Edward McHugh had been drinking with Malcolm Yule and Roy Benjamin at Mr Benjamin's flat in Oak Avenue, Manningham, but after an argument started he left and returned to his own home in Woodview Terrace, Manningham.

Prosecutor Stephen Wood told Bradford Crown Court yesterday that an hour later McHugh came back to the flat with the hatchet hidden in his clothing and struck Mr Yule on his left forearm as he raised it to protect his head.

During a struggle to disarm McHugh Mr Yule suffered two further cuts and Mr Benjamin also had multiple lacerations to his upper body and left arm.

McHugh, who has previous convictions going back to the age of 13, gave himself up to police two days after the incident in July and accepted causing the injuries.

At his trial in January he denied intending to cause the men serious harm, but a jury found him guilty of wounding Mr Yule with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm.

The jury returned a guilty verdict on the lesser charge of unlawful wounding in respect of the injuries to Mr Benjamin.

Mr Wood revealed that in 1992 McHugh was given a 12-month conditional discharge following an incident when he assaulted his then girlfriend and was later found by police outside a neighbour's house brandishing an axe.

When police questioned McHugh about the incident at Mr Benjamin's flat he admitted that when he drank alcohol he got "really, really mad'' and had "bad thoughts''.

Following McHugh's trial Judge Linda Sutcliffe adjourned sentencing so a psychiatric report could be prepared on him.

Judge Sutcliffe said she was satisfied that McHugh posed a significant risk of serious harm to the public and added: "There is clearly a very significant potential for you to cause very serious injury to anybody who crosses you."

During his interview with a psychiatrist McHugh admitted carrying out random attacks on other people during arguments and having feelings of paranoia.

Judge Sutcliffe set the minimum period he must serve before being considered for release by the Parole Board at three-and-a-half years less the 225 days he has already served on remand.