A MAN who beat the living daylights out of his neighbour after water leaked through his ceiling has been spared jail.

Adam Worsdell lost his temper after he came home to find an inch of water on his floor and water in his television and games console.

It had leaked through from the shower in the flat above him in Pembury Road, Westcliff.

Neighbour Aaron Darling came out of the shower wrapped in a towel to answer a knock at the door - only to be confronted by Worsdell.

He asked if he had been having a shower with the door open, and when Mr Darling replied ‘no’ he flew into a rage.

Lesley Chipps, prosecuting, said: “He started to punch him to the mouth area causing him to fall to the floor. He says he continued to punch and kick him before leaving the property.

"He says the towel had fallen away from him and he says as he went down he must have hit a fuse box to that radiator.”

She said Mr Darling had told police he was now terrified to answer his door for fear it will be Worsdell and sleeps with a knife under his pillow.

Miss Chipps said there had been a history of problems with flooding which sparked the attack on January 30.

Worsdell, 34, appeared before Southend Magistrates Court where he pleaded guilty to assault and criminal damage.

Roger Nield, mitigating, said the room had been his “pride and joy” and he had kept it tidy.

He said: “There had been previous floodings, he’d just got it right after a previous flood, unfortunately once his room got flooded again that’s why he reacted in the way he did.”

He told the court that Worsdell suffers from psychosis, having been sectioned before, and at the time of the incident had not been taking his medication.

He said straight after the incident Worsdell had gone to his GP and is now complying with treatment in the community.

Worsdell  was sentenced to a 12 month community order with a 60 day Education Training and Employment programme, £60 victim surcharge, £105 costs and £180 compensation.