Leeds teen spared jail over golf club attack

John MacIntyre, 18, used the weapon to hit his neighbour repeatedly during the incident.

Leeds Crown Court heard the victim suffered a broken ankle during the attack.

Alisha Kaye, prosecuting, said the victim lived next door to MacIntyre’s family at the time of the incident.

The victim, aged 50, has since moved away after a complaint of harassment was made against him and he was made the subject of a restraining order. MacIntyre used the golf club to smash a panel in the victim’s front door. The victim was then attacked when he went outside to take photographs of the damage.

MacIntyre struck him to the arm and to his ankle.

The teenager, of Owlett Mead, Thorpe, pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm and criminal damage.

In a statement read to the court, the victim described MacIntyre as a “nice lad” and said he did not wish for him to go to prison. Peter Byrne, mitigating, said MacIntyre had behaved out of character.

MacIntyre was given a 20-month sentence, suspended for two years, and told to do 150 hours unpaid work.

He was made the subject of a curfew for six months and ordered to pay £500 compensation.

The judge said: “I am not sending you to prison because your victim does not want you to go.

“You have him to thank for the fact that you are not going immediately to custody today.”