A DUDLEY man who attacked a 73-year-old security guard with a shovel during a sickening 30-minute beating has been jailed for 14 years.

Lee Parsons broke into Stoke Forgings metal factory in Brierley Hill on March 19 – pulling on a pair of overalls to blend in as a site worker – but was caught rummaging through an office by Joginder Singh Mattu.

CCTV caught Parsons, of no fixed address, trying to talk his way out of the situation before suddenly punching Mr Mattu to the floor and repeatedly hitting him around the head and body with a shovel.

Fellow guards found him hours later lying in a pool of blood and, because of the extent of his injuries, it was initially suspected he’d been involved in an industrial accident.

Mr Mattu – a well-liked character who’d worked at the factory for 35 years before becoming a guard – suffered severe head injuries and remained in hospital for six weeks.

Detectives conducted checks at addresses in the local area and found 44-year-old Parsons lying low at a shared accommodation building in Highgate Road, Dudley.

His fingerprints matched those found on the shovel and examination of a pair of his jeans revealed blood that was forensically matched to Mr Mattu.

He was charged with attempted murder and, at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Thursday (July 6), was jailed for 14 years having admitted the offence at an earlier hearing.

West Midlands Police Detective Constable Paul Widdal from Force CID, said: “The CCTV footage was truly shocking: this was a prolonged, vicious attack and at times Parsons can be seen shouting at and goading the victim as he lay defenceless on the ground.

“At one stage Mr Mattu did manage to stagger away a short distance but was followed by Parsons and set upon again.

“Mr Mattu was in critical care for many weeks; I’m delighted he pulled through but we could easily have been looking at a murder investigation. I am pleased the court has recognised the severity of the assault and handed down a lengthy prison sentence. Parsons is clearly a danger to the public and people are safer with him behind bars.

“I also want to pay my respects to Mr Mattu; he has shown great courage and a fantastic mind-set. In fact, when he came around in hospital the first thing he wanted to know was if anything had been stolen – and when told no, replied 'I did my job then.'"

In a statement a family member said: "We’re pleased with the swiftness in which the offender was apprehended. Dad is recovering at home and as a family we would like to draw closure on this incident; we just want to give dad time to recuperate with his family, hopefully make a full recovery and for him to enjoy his retirement."