A MAN who came to the front door to check on his children who were playing out was attacked by another man who tried to hit him with a paving slab.

Blackburn magistrates heard Andrew Taylor was so frightened of what was going to happen as he was being punched on the floor he then picked up a piece of the broken slab and hit his assailant over the head with it.

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Lee Bibby, 48, of Stanley Street, Accrington, pleaded guilty to assaulting Andrew Taylor, cultivating cannabis and abstracting electricity without authority.

He was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months with a 30 day rehabilitation activity requirement. He was also made subject to a restraining order for 12 months and ordered to pay £300 compensation and £180 criminal court charges.

Catherine Allan, prosecuting, said Mr Taylor was at home with his children when they decided to play on the street. He propped the door open with a paving slab to stop it slamming.

“He went outside to check on them and Bibby appeared,” said Miss Allan. “He was drunk and said he was in a bad mood and wanted to knock someone out.”

She said Mr Taylor talked to Bibby to try and calm him down but all of a sudden Bibby grabbed him and lifted him against the front of his house.

“His partner came out and tried to get the defendant off Mr Taylor who was also trying to defend himself,” said Miss Allan. “The defendant eventually released his grip but said he was going to return and rape Mr Taylor. He then picked up the paving slab and tried to smash it down on Mr Taylor’s head.

“Mr Taylor was against the wall and had nowhere to go so he charged into the defendant’s stomach and fortunately the slab missed,” said Miss Allan. “Mr Taylor couldn’t get the other man off him so he saw a piece of the slab on the floor and hit Bibby over the head with it.”

When police searched Bibby’s home they found a cannabis production facility and bypassed electricity meter.

Peter King, defending, said when he was young Bibby had a tumour removed from his brain and suffered seizures.

“That is why he uses cannabis and there is no suggestion the production was anything but for his own use,” said Mr King.