A MAN who picked up a nine-year-old by the throat and threatened to snap his neck has been jailed.

Preston Crown Court heard how 20-year-old 'bully' Thomas Ian Edwards, attacked his victim after intervening in a 'childish' dispute between him and a young girl who he knew.

The initial incident happened outside Tatton Community Centre, Chorley, and when the boy returned home and told his 16-year-old brother what had happened the victim’s father went outside to confront Edwards, of Marsden Street, Accrington.

In response Edwards swung a number of punches at the victim’s father and other onlookers but none of them connected.

As a result of those two incidents on September 25, Edwards was charged with common assault and a public order offence, which put in him breach of a 20-week suspended prison sentence for assaulting a boy outside a school in 2015.

Prosecuting Jacob Dyer, said: “It seems that the nine-year-old had some trouble with a girl - one accusing the other of spitting and the other accusing the other of scratching. This appears to have been reported to others, including the defendant.

“As a result of what he has been told by the girl he had confronted the victim.

“The defendant grabbed the boy and started strangling him. He lifted him up by the neck and threatened to snap his neck of he repeated his actions towards the girl again. He strangled him for a second time for around 10 seconds.

“There were others present at the time and the defendant forced the victim to apologise."

Mr Dyer continued: “The victim’s brother noticed he was upset when he came back home. He was shaking. The victim’s father went out and there was a confrontation with him and the defendant. The defendant then started throwing punches, They were all missing."

The court heard Edwards had breached the suspended sentence in September 2015 by failing to comply with a community order and earlier this year after being convicted of shoplifting.

Defending, Tom Lord said: “The common assault was very mean. It is something the court might interpret as a bullying offence. Fortunately there were no injuries."

Judge James Adkin jailed Edwards for eight months.