A PENSIONER, who beat a neighbour with an iron bar over a parking dispute, has escaped a prison sentence.

Allan Guest, of Nicholson Street, in the town centre, brutally attacked his neighbour on June 12 after an ongoing argument over parking arrangements outside his home spiralled out of control.

The court heard how the victim was in his garden and began to make rude gestures at Guest.

The 70-year-old, who was already holding a brick in his hand, picked up an iron bar and walked over to his neighbour’s front garden and repeatedly hit him in the head and face, causing the victim to fall over.

Guest then started to strangle the victim, who is in his late sixties, before biting him on his left ear and arm.

The victim managed to fight back and a number of neighbours were forced to intervene and break up the fight.

The police were called and Guest was later arrested.

Prosecuting, John Oates said: “The victim suffered injuries to his head but nothing very serious, which is very lucky given the size of the weapon in question.”

When Guest was questioned by the police, he claimed he approached the victim to offer him the brick to throw through his own caravan window.

He said he had brought the iron bar to use in retaliation for when the victim broke the window.

It was also claimed in an earlier hearing that Guest could not have bitten the victim because he didn’t have his false teeth in at the time of the attack.

Defending Sarah Haque said: “He is usually an even-tempered, hard working, law abiding citizen with a strong work ethic.”

Guest pleaded guilty on January 6 to two offences including assault occasioning actual bodily harm and using an iron bar as a weapon.

Judge Robert Trevor-Jones called the attack ‘brutal’ and warned Guest that he could have been facing a much more serious charge.

He added: “This is one example of a dispute between neighbours which has festered.

“You have spent the best part of 70 years in a very law abiding life and you have been hard working and you stuck at one job. You have also had a stable family life.”

Guest was sentenced to nine months in prison for the assault at Warrington Crown Court on Friday, which was suspended for two years, and four months for using a metal bar as a weapon, which will be served concurrently.

He was also handed a 12 month supervision order and was ordered to complete 120 hours unpaid work.