A STUDENT who threatened a man with a baseball bat seconds after seeing his mother pushed to the ground has been handed a curfew.

Burnley Crown Court heard how the incident on August 19, 2016, was the result of bad blood between defendant Jack Evans and a second man, Joshua Lee Lownsborough.

Prosecutor Peter Barr said the two men had seen each other at 9pm that night in Hazelwood Road, Nelson, and an argument had ensued. That was in relation to an incident in 2015 in which Evans, 19, of Rowland Avenue, Nelson, had deliberately damaged Mr Lownsborough’s car.

Mr Barr said that around five minutes later Mr Lownsborough was walking close to Marsden Park, Nelson, with his girlfriend when he heard a male voice shout ‘come on Joshy boy’.

As they walked closer they saw the defendant standing in the middle of the road in Rowland Avenue, Nelson, holding a baseball bat, the court heard.

The court was told that the defendant’s parents Justin and Sharon attempted to restrain Evans but there was a confrontation involving him and Mr Lownsborough.

It was at that point Mr Lownsborough’s girlfriend began to film the incident on her mobile phone and a short clip showing part of the altercation was played to the court.

As a result of the incident Evans, his parents and Mr Lownsborough all received injuries.

But the prosecution could not prove Evans had caused any of the injuries using the baseball bat so decided against pursuing a wounding charge against him.

Mr Barr said: “The defendant had the baseball bat but he appears to have been acting in self-defence of one of his parents’ who was being attacked by Joshua. He has pleaded guilty to possessing the baseball bat. No allegation of causing injury to Joshua was ever laid.”

Defending, Phillip Holden said his client had been set on by Mr Lownsborough’s dog in the initial encounter and only took the baseball out in self-defence when he saw his parents being attacked.

He said: “This is an unusual case. Ordinarily where a man takes a baseball bat with intent to use it in public then it crosses the custody threshold. In this unusual case where his parents are being attacked and where the prosecution don’t say he used it unlawfully then in my view it doesn’t cross the custody threshold and can be dealt with via a community order."

Evans pleaded guilty to possessing an unlawful weapon and using threatening words and behaviour.

He was sentenced to a 12-month community order, with a 10-week curfew and a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

For his role in the incident Mr Lownsborough, 27, of Hazelwood Road, Nelson, pleaded guilty to using threatening words and behaviour at Burnley Magistrates Court earlier this year.

He was fined £200, with £85 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.