A DAD was threatened with a baseball bat and punched in the face in front of his two young children after confronting a woman about the manner of her driving.

Michael Hadwin approached Megan Louise Rose's car at a petrol station on November 20 to complain about her driving.

However, she responded by swinging a baseball bat at Mr Hadwin before an accomplice, Jack Johnston, punched the victim in the face twice.

The pair appeared before Furness Magistrates' Court on Tuesday where they both pleaded guilty to common assault.

Johnston also admitted possessing an offensive weapon in a public place and possessing cannabis after a stash was found on him at the time of his arrest.

Mr Lee Dacre, prosecuting, told the court that Mr Hadwin was preparing to set off on a journey with his partner and two young children when a car driven by Rose flew past at an alarming speed.

Mr Hadwin gestured for the car to slow down but Rose responded with an obscene gesture and drove on.

As the family set off on their journey, Mr Hadwin noticed Rose's car at Mountbarrow service station, Ulverston, and pulled in so that he could speak to her about her driving.

After a confrontation, Rose swung the bat at the complainant before 19-year-old Johnston got involved by punching Mr Hadwin in front of his family who watched from their car.

Miss Karen Templeton, who defended Rose in court, argued that the 22-year-old, of Park Avenue, Barrow, felt frightened by Mr Hadwin so she picked up the bat and asked him to leave.

However, her client admitted that her actions were "beyond unacceptable" and "completely out of character".

Mr Michael Graham, defending Johnston, of Broad Close, Barrow, said that his client found the atmosphere "intimidating" but accepted that he was guilty of assault. He also added that the baseball bat belonged to him.

A pre-sentence report by the probation service concluded that both defendants suffer from anxiety and depression.

Miss Templeton also argued that Rose, who was jailed for setting fire to an ice cream kiosk in 2013, had sought help for her mental health problems as she urged the magistrates not to send Rose to prison again.

She said: "I think she would be extremely vulnerable in a custodial setting. She was not in the right state of mind at the time of the incident - she was frightened and reacted badly."

The bench handed Rose and Johnston 12-month community orders with 20 days and 10 days of rehabilitation activity, respectively. They were also both handed three-month curfews and ordered to pay £100 each in compensation to Mr Hadwin.

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