A MAN who broke the legs of his unfaithful wife by driving a van at her had his "unduly lenient" sentence increased at the Court of Appeal yesterday.

Laundry boss Andrew Lincoln, of Colburn Lane, Catterick, North Yorkshire, pleaded guilty at Teesside Crown Court in February to causing his wife, Carol, grevious bodily harm with intent.

He was jailed for three years.

But yesterday England and Wales' most senior law officer, Attorney General Lord Goldsmith successfully challenged the sentence as not long enough.

Lord Justice Hooper, sitting in London with Mr Justice Holman and Mr Justice Simon, described the punishment as unduly lenient and increased it to four-and-a-half years.

The judges were told Lincoln, 45, had attacked his wife with the equivalent of a lethal weapon at the premises where she ran her business, Lincoln and Harding Laundry Services.

He drove at her twice in quick succession, and as she lay on the ground defenceless and in agony, attacked her again with his feet.

Robin Turpin, for Lincoln, argued that, although the offence was serious, Lincoln - a driver and storeman at Catterick Garrison - was stressed at the time, worried about financial matters and had exploded with rage when things became too much for him.

The court heard that in the summer of last year, Mrs Lincoln began a relationship with Andrew Danylew after renting him business space at her laundry in Easton Way, Colburn Industrial Estate, and they moved in together in Brompton-on-Swale.

Lincoln appeared to take the break-up well, but on November 3, last year, he went to the laundry and at about 7.30am drove at his wife in his Transit van twice.

After a struggle with Mr Danylew, the keys were removed from the van, but at that point Lincoln went up to his stricken wife and kicked her.