St Albans man Ben Smith was sent back to jail yesterday after hitting a man with a metal pole at shops in Marshalswick.

Smith, 25, was in a feud with Adam Nazir and said he thought the victim was going to assault him when he saw him in The Quadrant.

He had been shopping in Budgens and was driving out of the car park when he saw Mr Nazir. Smith reversed, got out of his van and went for him with a metal pole, St Albans Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Edward Lewis said Mr Nazir managed to put down a child he was holding. Smith hit him with the pole and a 20 second-long fight broke out. "It was a violent attack and only by good luck that the child was not injured," he said.

Smith of Trumpington Drive, St Albans, pleaded guilty to affray, which happened at 4.35pm on October 22 this year. He had seven previous convictions for 10 offences.

In March 2010 he had been jailed for 45 months for the wounding with intent of a man who he had found having sex with his then girlfriend at a party. He had been released early from that sentence in July this year.

Andel Singh, defending, asked for full credit for his early guilty plea. "He accepts what he did and is totally ashamed. It was in the presence of a young child and he is remorseful. There was an ongoing feud. He thought the victim was going to attack him as he had been in a relationship with his partner," he said.

Mr Singh handed the judge a reference for Smith which praised his voluntary work with elderly people.

Judge Marie Catterson jailed him for 10 months saying: "It was a quarter to four on a Wednesday afternoon. At that time there were a lot of people about, in particular small children coming home from school.

"It was an alarming, frightening and disgraceful attack."

The judge said she was impressed by the reference about his voluntary work with pensioners saying it showed a completely different side to him.