A MAN appeared in court after being charged with assault.

Andrew David Ponsford pleaded guilty to the charge of beating another man in Barrow when he appeared before the bench at South Cumbria Magistrates’ Court on Abbey Road, Barrow.

The 36-year-old admitted that he assaulted George Park in the town on March 13.

The defendant, of Marsh Street in Askam, was represented in court by defence solicitor Michael Graham.

Ponsford was handed a year-long community order.

Magistrates, led by chairman Leslie Johnson, ordered the defendant to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work in the community over the next 12 months.

The bench also handed down a victim surcharge of £90 as well as ordering him to pay £85 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.

He will pay the fees in full by July 20.

Ponsford committed the offence only a few weeks after finding himself in court for criminal damage.

On February 23 he pleaded guilty to causing £249.60 in damage to a former girlfriend’s car in an incident on November 2.

On that occasion he was told to pay the cost of the damage in compensation and fined £100.