A dad hit a neighbour with an axe in a 'vigilante' attack after accusing him of being a drug dealer.
Paul Wilde, 53, left his victim with a punctured lung and a fractured rib following the 'unprovoked' attack in Swinton.
The man had been at a bus stop on Rake Lane when he asked Wilde 'are you alright mate?'
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Wilde, who has worked in rugby with young people, mumbled something back and carried on drinking his energy drink.
Then he suddenly went to his car and pulled out the axe, also described as a 'hatchet'.
Wilde, who works in construction, told the man: "What the f*** are you and all your drug dealers doing around here?"
"What the f*** are you on about?," the victim replied.
He went to leave, but then felt a sharp pain.
Wilde had swung the axe and hit him to the chest, with the blunt end of the weapon.
The judge said it was 'sheer dumb luck' that he didn't hit him with the sharp side.
His injuries could have been 'catastrophic' if he had, Recorder Michael Maher said.
The victim's partner called the police, and he was taken to hospital.
Describing the attack as a 'form of vigilantism', the judge told Wilde: "You took the law into your own hands.
"You meted out retribution to someone you believed should be punished.
"But Mr Wilde, you are not the judge and jury in your local community.
"I have no evidence in this case that the victim was a drug dealer.
"But even if I did have such evidence, that did not justify you wielding an axe in a public place."
In a statement, he said he felt in 'complete shock' at the attack, which happened 'on his own doorstep'.
He said he didn't feel safe knowing that Wilde lives nearby.
After the attack he couldn't lie down for a week and no longer goes out on his own, prosecutor Joshua Bowker said.
Wilde pleaded guilty to section 20 wounding and possession of an offensive weapon.
He was told he was lucky to avoid jail, after he appeared at Manchester Crown Court.
His barrister Neil Ronan said Wilde has been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder following events in his childhood.
Mr Ronan said Wilde was 'in dire need of help' for his 'demons', and had submitted testimonials from members of the community which spoke highly of him.
The judge said the public would be better protected by a suspended sentence.
Wilde, of Rake Lane, was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid work and 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days.
He must also pay his victim £750 in compensation.
