A man had to get his head glued after being attacked by a neighbour with a fence post as he searched for his missing cat.

Kenneth Royston Hansford, 58 and of Victoria Square on Portland, appeared at Weymouth Magistrates’  Court on Wednesday, March 15, where he pleaded guilty to one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in relation to the incident.

The court heard how, on June 16 of last year, the victim had been searching for his missing cat around Victoria Square and police had fielded several phone calls in relation to his behaviour. 

Various reports to police were made about the victim ‘persistently shouting, knocking on doors, and being aggressive’.

At 4.30pm police arrived at the victim’s flat where he was located inside and ‘very upset’ because he had lost his cat. A neighbour was inside helping him to calm down and police left the property.

Shortly afterwards the victim went back outside in an attempt to find his missing cat and it was reported he was intoxicated and persisted to ‘scream and shout’ in the street.

It is then that Hansford ‘came along to the end of his courtyard, picked up a garden fence post, and walked back towards the victim’, the court heard.

Elizabeth Valera, prosecuting, said Hansford struck the victim to the stomach and then over the head - causing ‘significant’ damage to the man.

Pictures of the injuries were shown in court in which a large cut to the head, which required gluing shut, was visible as well as markings to the stomach and hand. The victim required five stitches to his hand and pictures of his blood-splattered shirt were also shown to the court.

Ms Valera said the CPS put the offences at a sentencing start point of 36 weeks in custody - before credit for the guilty plea and mitigation was taken into account.

Lee Christmas, representing Hansford, told the court a pre-sentence report would be able to take into account ‘provocation’ that built up to the attack.

Mr Christmas said Hansford had ‘put up, for over a year, with similar behaviour from the victim’ and had struck the victim after ‘threats were made’ towards him. 

He added that the victim had reportedly made threats to burn people’s houses down on the day in question and that the attack took place after Hansford ‘lost his temper’.

The case was adjourned for sentencing on May 11, 2023 at Weymouth Magistrates’ Court.