David Richards has been jailed for 27 years at Chelmsford Crown Court for the attempted murder of his wife (Picture: PA)

A man who tried to hack his ex-partner to death with an axe for kissing The Only Way is Essex star Kirk Norcross has been jailed for 27 years.

David Richards, former boss of the Dreamboys stripper group, fought back tears today as Judge David Turner KC described his attack as ‘a bloodbath’.

Chemsford Crown Court previously heard how the former boxer had battered Alex Alam around her head with an axe at least six times as she put her dogs in bed.

The 42-year-old waited in darkness for five hours outside her property in Stock, Essex, while her children were inside.

‘Kirk Norcross, Kirk Norcross – in my house,’ he yelled as he bludgeoned her with the axe before trying to tie her up with cable ties.

The trial in November heard how the victim managed to escape from Richards as blood poured from her wounds and ran back inside.

As blood gushed from her head, Ms Alam dialed 999 to call police and made a desperate FaceTime call to Mr Noscross, telling him, ‘I am dying’.

The court was told Norcross described the scene as ‘a horror movie’.

‘She was covered in blood. I had never seen anything like it. It was like I was seeing a horror movie,’ the star told the court.

‘She said, “Kirk come back, I am dying. He has killed me”.

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‘I asked her what had happened and she said, “He has done me with an axe”.’

The court heard how Ms Alam had suffered years of domestic abuse in her husband’s hands before they split up.

She was finally granted a non-molestation order on February 14 banning Richards from contacting her after she complained to police that he had assaulted her and subjected her to coercive and controlling behaviour.

In a victim impact statement, she described feeling ‘disconnected’ from life, too scared to leave home after 6pm and suffering sleepless nights and flashbacks from the attack.

Richards who sold his company running the Deamboys for more than £1 million in 2019 had denied attempted murder, claiming he acted in self defence, but was found guilty.

Judge Turner told him: ‘Attempted murder is a grave crime and must be marked by a very substantial term of imprisonment.

‘No other term can be appropriate when a jury has concluded that you intended to kill another person.’

He jailed him for 27 years for attempted murder, and a concurrent nine months for breaching the restraining order.

The judge also made a further order banning Richards from contacting Ms Alam directly or indirectly, or going within 500m of her home.

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The scene of the crime was described as ‘a horror movie’.