A 90-year-old former Army PT instructor has been handed a 12-month conditional discharge after punching his neighbour in a dispute over a motorhome.
Kenneth Bell struck his much younger victim during the confrontation in Kidsgrove, leaving him with a tender jaw.
North Staffordshire Justice Centre heard how the incident occurred on March 11 when the motorhome was parked on land behind Bell's home.
Prosecutor Suzanne Swindail told the court that Bell confronted the complainant and his wife - both of whom insisted that they owned the land where the motorhome was parked.
North Staffordshire Justice Centre heard how the incident occurred on March 11 when the motorhome was parked on land behind Bell's home
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After an exchange of words, Bell punched the complainant in the jaw, giving the victim a two-fingered salute as he left the scene, saying: "I will have you two."
The court heard Bell later threatened to "set it on fire with you two in it" while the complainant was inside the motorhome, as the victim reportedly responded: "I am not going to fight you."
Sarah Bedford, mitigating, explained that Bell and his disabled wife live in a bungalow with a public footpath at the back, which is the cause of the dispute.
The court heard Bell had lived in his bungalow for 20 years and felt the motorhome hampered his privacy, as Bedford added that "he had sat on his frustration for some time".
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She added that Bell had "lost his temper" after what he claimed involved "abuse and threats" from the complainant.
Bell, who served in the Royal Artillery before becoming an engineer at GEC, told magistrates: "I am one of 12 children. I am Ken Bell. I am respected all over this city."
After the hearing, Bell expanded on his ongoing dispute with the neighbours.
"It has gone on for 20 years. It is a public footpath. I have maintained this footpath for 20 years," he told StokeonTrentLive.
"I have had cancer and got rid of it. I threw it out. I am an ex Army physical training instructor. I have fought all my life," he added.
The court heard Bell had lived in his bungalow for 20 years and felt the motorhome hampered his privacy (Stock)
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Bell pleaded guilty to assault by beating at North Staffordshire Justice Centre.
Magistrates ordered him to pay £85 costs and a £26 surcharge.
The prosecution had applied for a restraining order, but magistrates did not believe that this was "necessary" nor "proportionate".
The 90-year-old was ultimately given a 12-month conditional discharge for the offence.
The court heard differing accounts of the incident, with Bell's solicitor suggesting there was "some distance" between her client's version of events and the prosecution's.
