Phillip Groom, 31, of Oakfield Crescent, Knottingley, used a steak knife to stab Brian Attfield and his wife Andrea after the long-running boundary dispute.

He also crashed Mrs Attfield's car into another car, a wall and a fence before launching the "frenzied attack" in their own home, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Groom suffered serious brain injuries after throwing himself off a bridge on the M62 near Ferrybridge just after the incident on October 1, 2006.

He was declared fit to plead, but despite a pre-sentence report recommending he stayed out of prison, Judge Rodney Grant jailed him for five years.

He said: "I've come to the conclusion that I cannot possibly deal with you in such a way. These offences are far too serious. Those people suffered not only physical wounds but also psychological wounds. That suffering goes on three-and-a-half years later.

"They suffer from anxiety and stress and say they relive often the events which they had to undergo as a result of your attack upon them."

Prosecuting, Chloe Fairley said Mr and Mrs Attfield had been living on Eastfield Avenue with their two young children for six years at the time of the incident.

Groom and his then-girlfriend had moved into a neighbouring property in 2004 and a dispute arose over "boundary fencing and a boundary wall". On October 1, 2006, Mrs Attfield drove her car off the driveway for her husband to move his motorbike and she left the keys in the ignition.

Groom got in and reversed the car into a fence before crashing into Mr Attfield's own car and then into a wall. He then entered the house and launched his frenzied attack on Mr Attfield, stabbing him at least seven times with a three-inch steak knife.

When Mrs Attfield tried to intervene, she was also stabbed several times, the court heard.

Groom left the property when Mrs Attfield's sister, who armed herself with an iron bar, went to call police.

Mr and Mrs Attfield were treated for their injuries at Pinderfields Hospital and wept in court as Groom was jailed yesterday.

Defending, Richard Canning described the case as "exceptional" and said Groom needed 24-hour care following his suicide attempt, adding that he would "never get better".

Groom pleaded guilty to two counts of wounding with intent at a hearing last month.