A man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for raping his wife and assaulting her with a hammer.

The man, who can't be named to protect the identity of his estranged wife, had also threatened to kill her.

Handing down the sentence, Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy said the woman had been put through a truly horrific, sustained, vicious and cowardly attack.

She gave the man a 12-year sentence with the final two years suspended.

He also received sentences ranging from three to seven-and-a-half years for attacking the woman and her mother with a hammer, threatening to kill her and threatening to cut off her face with a knife.

The court heard that in 2014 the couple suffered a marital breakdown after the man had been unemployed for some time.

The victim said during the trial that the night he raped her - May 25th 2014 - will stay with her forever.

The man was also found guilty of attacking the victim and her mother with a hammer.

He had pretended to get a present for his son from his car in order to gain access to the mother's home - actually inside was a hammer he used to beat both women.

The man was described as being calm and cold in the build up to the attack, which the judge said was quite chilling.

He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered never to contact his wife directly again.