A MAN who beat a disabled pensioner with a stick has been jailed for four months.

Ian Pounds, of Crawford Close, Freshbrook, attacked the pensioner after getting into an argument with another man in the street.

Emma Andslip, prosecuting, told Swindon Magistrates' Court that Pounds followed the man to what he thought was his home in Cottington Close, Freshbrook, and threw a slab of concrete at a car.

She said he then damaged the door of a house before assaulting the elderly resident.

"The defendant encountered a male in the street that he took a dislike to and started hurling abuse towards him calling him a pervert and saying I'm going to get you'," said Miss Andslip.

"The defendant followed him and seeing the car outside the house, he believed it to be owned by the person he was following.

"It is believed he has gone towards the house with a large piece of concrete and threw it at the house.

"A disabled person lives in the house and he heard the defendant saying you pervert, I'm going to get you'.

"The defendant said your son is a pervert, he keeps staring at me, I'm going to call the police'.

"He then pushed the disabled male, who raised his right arm to defend himself. He was hit on the arm a number of times with a stick."

Miss Andslip said Pounds, 36, admitted to police that he had thrown a piece of concrete through the car window and that he believed the people living in the house were perverts and were responsible for other matters that had occurred in the area.

Tony Novogrodski, defending, said his client had mental health problems and that he needed help.

He said: "In the main his offences are shoplifting. There are no offences of violence and this is fairly out of character for him.

"Mr Pounds has longstanding mental health issues. He has previously suffered with schizophrenia.

"He was addicted to gambling. He would quite often go into shops and steal and then go and play a fruit machine.

"Matters went from bad to worse for him and around about that time he was sectioned."

Mr Novogrodski said Pounds believed the man he initially got into an argument with was responsible for some serious offences in the area.

He said he threw the slab at the car so police could identify the man he was arguing with.

Pounds pleaded guilty to charges of common assault, criminal damage to the door, criminal damage to the car and a previous charge of possessing a bladed article.

Chairman of the bench Norman Ames sentenced him to one month in prison for the common assault, three months for possession of the bladed article and one month for each of the criminal damage offences.