A man thumped another man in the face and smashed a car window with an axe in a row over stone-throwing, a court heard yesterday.

Well-built Kevin West, 42, had a street confrontation with Peter Illingworth outside the victim’s home, in Hoyle Ing Road, Thornton, on the afternoon of June 21 this year, Bradford Crown Court was told.

Prosecutor Jeremy Lindsay told the court Mr Illingworth had spoken to the defendant about his son throwing stones at his dog, and an argument quickly developed.

Mr Lindsay said: “The defendant is a very large man. He objected to what was being said, and hit the complainant twice to the left side of his face. It was unprovoked.”

Mr Lindsay said the complainant, who had previously been injured in a motorcycle accident, hit the defendant with one of his crutches, and more words were exchanged.

Other people came out of their houses and the complainant’s brother arrived in his Mitsubishi car.

The defendant left the scene, but returned in a van.

He took out a strimmer from the back and approached the complainant, but the strimmer was grabbed from him.

West drove off but returned again and this time got out of the van with a short-handled 16-inch-long axe, which he used to smash the rear passenger window and hit the side panel of the Mitsubishi.

Mr Lindsay said the incident lasted ten minutes and Mr Illingworth suffered a sore cheek and hurt teeth.

West, of Idlethorp Way, Thorpe Edge, Bradford, pleaded guilty to common assault, criminal damage and possessing an offensive weapon.

His solicitor advocate, Anne-Marie Hutton, said: “This was a bit more than one-way traffic.”

Judge David Hatton QC told West: “It seems to me this behaviour on this particular occasion was out of character.”

He sentenced West to a 12-month Community Order, with a medium level activity requirement.