A 62-year-old Shropshire man has begun a jail term after admitting attacking his 82-year-old neighbour with a walking stick during a row over a wheelie bin.

Philip Stott, of Roft Street, Oswestry, committed the offence while on a suspended sentence order for an earlier attack on another person with the same walking stick, the town’s magistrates heard.

They activated the suspended sentence which Stott received for common assault in April 2007 and jailed him for three months.

He was jailed for four months for causing his neighbour actual bodily harm, to run consecutively.

Mr Mark Linkins, prosecuting, said Stott had already admitted attacking Charles Brownlow on September 26 at a previous court hearing, but denied he had struck him more than once.

Stott also denied Mr Brownlow, 82, had fallen to the ground during the attack and that he had stood over him and struck him on the arm and ribs.

But magistrates found Stott had struck Mr Brownlow twice on the head, causing him to fall to the ground and then lashed out at him with the stick while his victim was on the ground.

Mr Linkins said the violence had erupted over a wheelie bin which had been blocking the men’s paths.

Mr Brownlow was said to have moved it towards Stott, who then moved it back towards the defendant.

Mr Linkins said there was some “to-ing and fro-ing” with the bin between the men before Stott launched his attack.

Mr Brownlow was left dazed by the attack and had to be taken to hospital by ambulance to have stitches in a head wound.

Mr Linkins said at the time of the offence Stott was on a suspended sentence order for common assault.

He said he was given a three-month jail sentence, suspended for two years in April 2007, for attacking a different person with his walking stick.

Mr James Cameron, for Stott, said his client had sought help for his anger issues after his last offence.

By Iain St John