THEY say that revenge is a dish best served cold and for spurned husband John Mains, he served the frostiest meal of all.

Sending explicit photographs of his wife to a pornographic magazine, his aim was to hurt and humiliate her after he discovered she had an affair.

Dr Joan Harvey, a psychologist at the University of Newcastle, said that it appeared he had carried out a calculated act of revenge.

She said: "This is an extreme case and a very emotive response. He has obviously felt that she had harmed him so much more than he had harmed her. He was obviously very hurt but revenge has short-term satisfaction and people can live to regret their actions.

"He may feel better in the short term, but over the years what she has done will continue to hurt him so the revenge he carried out is not really equitable. People do it to get a feeling of balance, they feel wronged and want to restore the balance.

"It is natural to have emotional responses when you have been hurt, but this act of revenge will carry with him over the years and he will be reminded about it."

Men rather than women are more likely to seek revenge on their former partners by sexual humiliation.

Mike Phelan found himself in Totnes Magistrates' Court, Devon, after sending 600 sexually explicit letters about his ex to her family and neighbours.

In August 2000, the well-publicised court case of Samantha Stone revealed her husband Julian St Quinton, a butcher from East Yorkshire, had blackmailed her by threatening to send a video tape of the couple's sex life to her parents.

Many lovers carry out acts of revenge in moments of heightened emotions, for example as soon as their partner has left them or when they discover an affair.

Catherine Roberts, from Dartmouth, Devon, used a filleting knife to rip up her husband's suede coat and a leather jacket before smashing a TV, VCR and crockery after discovering an affair.

One spurned woman sewed prawns in her ex's curtains. He called in Rentokil, changed the carpet and repapered his walls in a bid to get rid of the unknown smell. Eventually he had to sell his flat.

But is revenge sweet? Not according to Dr Harvey.

"No matter how hurt you might have been, you can never equate that with hurting the other person by revenge. Your hurt is never going to go away. When you think about the revenge years later, it will also remind you of how you were hurt.

"John Mains will have to live with what he has done for the rest of his life."

Getting their own back in style

* A woman ran up a £6,000 phone bill on her ex-boyfriend's telephone by calling the Australian talking clock and leaving the receiver off the hook while he away was on holiday.

* When Lady Sarah Graham-Moon discovered her husband, Sir Peter, was having an affair she cut the arms off his Saville Row suits, threw paint over his BMW and gave away 70 bottles of his best vintage wine to neighbours.

* Nick Faldo's ex-wife, Brenna Cepelak, hit his Porsche with a golf club, causing £10,000 damage, after he left her.

* Distraught Keith Fuller put a premature obituary in a national newspaper which read: "In loving memory of Lyn Costelloe who, for one man, ceased to exist on December 18, 1994. Cazzo dritto non voult consiglio' (the erect member has no conscience).

* The most famous act of revenge was in 1993 when Lorena Bobbit cut off her husband John's penis after she had suffered years of abuse at his hands. It was sewn back on and he later became a porn star.