A husband who punched his wife repeatedly in the face during a row over a male stripper has avoided jail.

Kenneth Bryant, 49, accused a stripper of waving his penis in his wife's face during a party in Worcester Park in May last year. He tried to punch the stripper but did not connect and then hit his wife in her face several times.

Bryant was told the attack left his wife Emma Bayliss with "horrific" injuries but Croydon magistrates decided at a hearing this morning to suspend his sentence on the condition he gets anger management therapy.

Mrs Bayliss went to a neighbour's party in Parkview Crescent while Bryant stayed at the couple's then-home in the same road. Bryant, now of Fairmile Avenue, Streatham, had been drinking alone but heard a male stripper performed at the party.

Prosecutor Denise Clewes said: "At 2.10am the stripper left. [Bryant] walked across the road and shouted abuse at him. He shouted 'have you been waving your c*ck about in my wife's face?'."

Bryant tried to punch the man but the stripper, a trained boxer, caught his arm and pushed him away.

Mrs Clewes added: "The stripper saw [Bryant] grab his wife by the hair and say 'what the f*ck have you been doing, sh*gging the stripper?'. He then punched her six times in the head with a clenched right fist."

Mrs Bayliss was left with bruising and swelling to her face.

Bryant denied assault by beating and represented himself in court only to be found guilty on January 28.

He represented himself during his sentencing. Asked if there was anything he would like to say he replied: "There's not a lot to say. I've been found guilty, what do I say?

"I've got a temperamental problem - there's no ifs or buts about that - but I don't want to go to prison. I'm too old for that."

The court heard he and his wife have got back together since the incident.

Sentencing, chairman of the magistrates Philip Knowles said: "This is a serious assault. We've seen photographs of the injuries caused and they're horrific."

Bryant was sentenced to 12 weeks in jail suspended for 18 months. During that time he will have to complete an anger management course.