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A PENSIONER has told how he was kicked and stamped on by his stepson as he tried to help.

Clifford Woodward had been called to his ex-wife's house to help calm down Lee Smart.

But 35-year-old Smart turned on his 70-year-old stepfather and beat him up.

Smart, of Witchford Crescent, Newstead, is now starting a two-year prison sentence after admitting assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Mr Clifford told The Sentinel that he went round to Smart's mother's house, because she said her son was acting oddly in the bathroom.

Mr Clifford, of Lyndhurst Street, Middleport, said: "He was ranting and raving that the chemist had given him the wrong medication.

"He was on methadone. He had problems with drugs. So I rang the chemist, but they said they had given him his regular medication.

"I told him that and he got right in my face and said 'what are you going to do about it?'.

"The next thing I know he pushes me over and he's using my head like a football, kicking and stamping on me.

"My face was a mess. I put my arms up to protect myself while I was on the floor and ended up with bruises on my arms and sore ribs."

Mr Woodward said he had known Smart since he got together with his mother Patricia when he was 10-years-old.

Mr Woodward later separated from his wife, but the pair remained friends and saw each other regularly.

He said: "It took me completely by surprise. I never expected him to do something like that.

"I've helped him over the years, taken him on holidays, visited him in prison, and helped him decorate his flat.

"He hasn't shown any remorse. He never said sorry for what he did.

"I think the sentence was a bit lenient because he'll probably be out in nine months. I don't want anything to do with him now."

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard Smart was in the bathroom when Mr Woodward arrived.

Paul Spratt, prosecuting, said: "He told him to buck his ideas up and that his mother could not be treated like this, which was the catalyst for the attack."

Anis Ali, defending Smart, conceded it was an "unpleasant" and "unwarranted" attack.

He said: "He offers no rational explanation nor justification for this attack. It is clear there has been a significant history of the use of illicit substances and concerns over his mental health."

Judge recorder John Harvey told Smart: "It may well be on the day when the assault took place you were fuelled by drugs and alcohol. The extent of his injuries makes the offence a grave one."

Mr Woodward said that as a result of what Smart did, his ex-wife has stopped speaking to him.

He said: "She's sticking by Lee, because she says he's her son.

"But I don't understand why she's stopped talking to me. I didn't do anything wrong.

"Even though we separated we were still good friends. I did a lot for her. It's a shame it's come to this.

"I haven't heard from her since November and I don't think I will hear from her again.

"One part of me wants to speak to her again but another part of me feels that I won't be able to trust her again."

Mr Woodward has been struggling to sleep since the attack and has suffered nightmares. His doctor days he is suffering from traumatic stress disorder.

Mr Woodward said: "I get bad headaches and floaters across my eyes.

"It took me weeks to recover from the physical injuries, but I think it will be a while before I'm back to my normal self emotionally."