A BITTER row between two golfing friends over one of them joining the Freemasons ended in violence as one attacked the other in the locker room of Barrow Golf Club.

Gary Gibson's decision to join the Freemasons led to a bitter dispute with his golfing pal George Thomas Martin. That bad feeling boiled over in June last year when 50-year-old Martin launched a violent attack on his friend in the locker room of the Rakesmoor Lane Club, breaking his arm.

At Carlisle Crown Court, Martin, of Cherry Tree Way, Barrow, admitted causing his former friend grievous bodily harm. Claire Larton, prosecuting, described how the men had been good friends, regularly playing golf and drinking together.

The defendant had also been to Mr Gibson's home and helped him in the garden.

"But in June of last year," said Miss Larton, "Mr Gibson became a member of the Masons but he was keen that this did not become common knowledge. So he asked his friend, the defendant, not to tell too many people.

"That became an issue between them. The defendant's response was to say that he could tell who he wanted to and there was a further argument between them."

Mr Gibson asked Martin why he had an issue with his membership of the Freemasons, prompting the defendant to suggest that Mr Gibson wanted to use his membership to further his career at the Kimberly Clark factory in Barrow where he works. The defendant became agitated, and spoke forcefully to Mr Gibson about the issue, the court heard.

At the Golf Club, the cooling of the relationship was shown by the defendant's refusal to buy Mr Gibson drinks. The bad feeling then spilled into an unpleasant exchange on Twitter.

Though Mr Gibson did not name the defendant, Martin felt he had been "badmouthed," said the barrister. She described how Mr Gibson then went to Barrow Golf Club on June 12 last year, and was standing in the locker room when he suddenly felt a blow to the back of his head.

Knocked to the floor, he raised his arms to defend himself as the blows continued to come - some connecting with his head and face. Mr Gibson felt he was briefly knocked out.

A witness who went into the locker-room saw the defendant stamping on Mr Gibson's head and shoulder area.

"There was more than one stamp and they were being delivered with a lot of force," said the barrister.

Mr Gibson suffered a broken arm as he tried to defend himself from the attack.

Colette Renton, for Martin, pointed out he was a man of previous good character. Passing sentence, Judge James Adkin said it was difficult to fathom why a man of such mature years would resort to violence over his friend asking him not to broadcast his membership of the Freemasons.

The judge imposed a 12 month jail sentence but suspended it for two years, and told the defendant to pay his victim £150 compensation, and complete 180 hours of unpaid work in the community. He also imposed a five year restraining order, banning Martin from going near his victim's home, or to Barrow Golf Club.