A Brighton recycling company employee attacked his estranged wife and her new boyfriend and deliberately shunted their van.
David Sommerford, 44, who works for Greenacre Recycling, of Elm Grove, Brighton, chanced across the pair outside Saltdean Lido.
Sommerford repeatedly punched his rival through the window of their stationary van.
As his victim edged away from Sommerford, he struck his estranged wife too.
He used a torch and mop and shouted: “I’m going to kill you. I’m going to do time for you. You have ruined my life. You have ruined my family.”
As the pair tried to leave the spot where they had parked, outside toilets at the lido, Sommerford drove his vehicle towards theirs and nudged it back by five yards.
At Brighton Magistrates’s Court on Thursday (27 October) Sommerford, of Meadow Crescent, Worthing, admitted assaulting the pair.
Rachel Lancaster, representing Sommerford, told the court that, after 25 years of marriage and four children, Sommerford’s wife had left home four weeks ago, met someone else and wanted to “have some fun”.
Sommerford had been hoping for a reconciliation and the catalyst to the assault was coming across his wife and her new boyfriend without warning.
The case was adjourned to Wednesday 16 November for reports.
Sommerford was warned that all sentencing options remained open, including prison.
