A man infatuated with a doctor's wife beat up the family's 15-year-old babysitter in a bizarre incident.

Mark Harrison called to deliver a note to the home of Helen Rankin in Great Comberton near Evesham.

But Mrs Rankin and her husband James were out to dinner with friends, leaving the teenager in charge of their three young children.

Harrison left but minutes later returned, ordered the victim to go with him and then punched her in the face six times, said Gareth Walters, prosecuting at Worcester Crown Court.

He began screaming at her and she tried to calm him down before the couple arrived back home and stopped the incident.

Harrison, who met Mrs Rankin at a sub-aqua club in Evesham, told police "what better way to get back at Helen than to rape the babysitter", said Mr Walters.

Judge Alistair McCreath said medical evidence showed that 42-year-old Harrison, of Hill View, Defford, near Pershore, was suffering from a psychotic illness at the time and was not, therefore, morally responsible.

He was responding to medication and psychiatric help and did not pose a significant risk of harm to the public. But the judge added: "This young woman suffered real, deep fear. She was vulnerable and in what she thought was a place of safety."

He gave Harrison a three-year community order with supervision by the probation service and a mental health treatment requirement.

Mr Walters said the defendant became infatuated with Mrs Rankin, bought her presents and told her his feelings were more than platonic.

She said she was happily married and saw that he was tense at Pershore leisure centre on November 11 last year.

A day later Harrison - who pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm - went to her home and mounted the attack, knocking the babysitter down on to a tiled floor.

He was treated in a mental hospital for a month and could not recall the incident in a police interview.

Julian Harris defending, admitted: "It was an absolutely dreadful and frightening episode for the victim. It was completely out of character, caused by features which were not his fault."