Telling off the paper boy led to black eye

TELLING off his paper boy for cycling up the path landed Norman Ferguson with a black eye, Ely magistrates were told on Thursday. Mr Ferguson grabbed the teenager by the collar and was met with verbal abuse – and the youngster said he would get his father

TELLING off his paper boy for cycling up the path landed Norman Ferguson with a black eye, Ely magistrates were told on Thursday.

Mr Ferguson grabbed the teenager by the collar and was met with verbal abuse - and the youngster said he would get his father to "sort him out."

His father, Stanley Rainford, then arrived on the scene, he shouted at Mr Ferguson and head-butted him, giving him a black eye.

At Ely courthouse on Thursday, 44-year-old Rainford, of Friars Place, Littleport, admitted assaulting Mr Ferguson on February 21.

"Mr Ferguson was sitting in his living room reading his newspaper when he saw the paper boy cycle down the garden path and he'd had words about it before," said Sally Rose, prosecuting. "He grabbed him by his collar and told him off."

When Rainford arrived he was angry, but seemed to calm down when told that Mr Ferguson had grabbed the boy's collar. But Rainford then delivered the head-butt before walking off. An ambulance was called and took Mr Ferguson to hospital.

It was 7.30am and Rainford was in bed when he received a phone call from his son's friend, saying a man had got the boy round the throat, said solicitor Jacqui Baldwin.

"He was extremely concerned to hear his son was being assaulted, he did not know by who, or for what reason. He went to the scene and saw a man with his hands round his son's neck. In a rash moment he assaulted the victim, and the victim received a black eye."

Sentencing was adjourned until March 16 for a pre-sentence report to be prepared and Rainford was given conditional bail.