A 46-year-old father has been sentenced to a period of probation for assaulting his children’s stepfather.

The defendant, from Sandys, pleaded guilty earlier this summer to both assaulting and using threatening words towards the complainant, telling the court he believed the man had sexually touched his children.

Neither the defendant nor the complainant can be identified to protect the identity of the children involved in the allegations.

The court had heard that, on April 3 this year, the defendant punched the complainant during an altercation in Paget.

He later threatened to kill the complainant while at the Hamilton Police Station.

Defence lawyer Rick Woolridge argued that a conditional discharge would be appropriate given the circumstances of the incident, including the defendant’s mindset and the relatively minor injuries suffered.

He explained that after hearing about the alleged abuse, the defendant had contacted the mother of his children and, during their conversation, she said something that gave him the belief she already knew about the interference.

“This is clearly a case where if it were not for the alleged interference of this case there would not have been this contact,” Mr Woolridge said.

“While it is not excusable, it certainly gives rise to a level of understanding.”

Magistrate Archibald Warner, however, responded: “However heinous the offence alleged was, that doesn’t give him the right to take the law into his own hands.”

Addressing the court himself, the defendant described himself as a peaceful man, saying: “I reacted with minor violence in the heat of the moment with the sole intention in my mind of protecting the safety of my children.”

He also told the court that he has filed an official complaint with the police regarding the alleged sexual touching, adding: “It baffles me that no charges have been brought forward for him to answer to.”

Delivering his sentence, Mr Warner said that a conditional discharge would not be appropriate, instead sentencing the defendant to two years probation. As part of the probation conditions, the defendant will be required to undergo any anger management and family crisis management programmes recommended by Court Services.

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