An asylum seeker shown kindness by a 'Good Samaritan' at a refugee centre was jailed for a prolonged assault on the elderly man.

Xhulian Dhamo had been given accommodation at the voluntary worker's home in Durham a couple of times while homeless and making an asylum application.

But Durham Crown Court heard it reached a stage in the asylum process where the regulations prohibited the volunteer from putting up the Albanian man at his home anymore.

Despite having been returned to a refugee centre in Newcastle, Dhamo made his way back to Durham and turned up at the 84-year-old man's home, this time uninvited, on November 13, last year.

Robin Patton, prosecuting, said that although the voluntary worker told him he was not permitted to stay there anymore, he did give Dhamo a cup of tea.

But when the householder went to take the defendant's belongings out to his car, he was struck repeatedly with a wooden pole over the head and body.

The slightly-built victim, at that stage covered in blood, tried to leave the property to raise the alarm, but was dragged back in and further beaten.

Mr Patton said it was only later, when Dhamo was not looking, that the victim managed to escape and speak to a neighbour.

While the emergency services were summoned and on route to the property, another neighbour spotted the defendant leaving the house, so he followed him and pinpointed him to police upon their arrival.

He was arrested and made no comment when interviewed later by police in the presence of a solicitor.

The defendant, of Low Fell, Gateshead, admitted unlawful wounding.

Mr Patton said in keeping with his public spiritedness and support for the defendant, the victim refused to provide an impact statement for the court.

Kate Barnes, in mitigation, said that the 31-year-old defendant first came to the UK at the age of 20.

After spending some time in Spain and elsewhere in Europe, he returned in 2023, and has since performed casual work on building sites and in restaurants.

An English speaker, he is seeking asylum as he has an aunt living in the UK, but the outcome remains in the hands of the immigration authorities.

Miss Barnes said Dhamo struggled to explain why he reacted as he did to the volunteer who had shown him such kindness, but he wishes to apologise to him.

Recorder Simon Jackson KC described it as, "a serious repeated attack on an elderly man in an isolated situation in his own home."

He said the victim was vulnerable through his build and age which the defendant took advantage of before carrying out the assault.

Imposing a 25-month prison sentence, Recorder Jackson also made the defendant subject of a restraining order, prohibiting him from contacting or approaching the victim for five years.

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