A WORCESTER father headbutted another man after their two daughters were involved in a fight, a court heard.

Jason Hempstock accused Charles Pearson of assaulting his daughter before head butting him and then kneeing him in the face, fracturing his cheekbone.

Hempstock, aged 39, of Tunnel Hill, Tolladine, appeared at Worcester Crown Court on Wednesday after admitting a charge of unlawful wounding.

He was sentenced to 51 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work. Hempstock was also given an 18-month supervision order.

Blondelle Thompson, prosecuting, told the court that Hempstock had been called by his former partner following an incident involving their daughter.

"At about 3.15pm on June 8 last year, Mr Pearson was trimming the hedge in his garden," she said. "His step-daughter was playing with the defendant's daughter.

"When he looked up he saw the girls fighting. He went to pull them apart and in doing so pulled the defendant's daughter's ponytail. She went and told her mother, who then came out and slapped Mr Pearson."

Miss Thompson said Hempstock, a lorry driver, was then called and when he arrived an argument ensued between the two men.

"Mr Pearson tried to explain what had happened but the defendant headbutted him," she said. "Mr Pearson fell into the hedge and was then punched and kneed in the face."

An ambulance was called to take Mr Pearson to hospital. He suffered a fractured cheekbone in the incident.

In mitigation, John Hodgkinson said Hempstock was very protective of his daughter and when he thought she had been assaulted "the red mist came down". He added that Hempstock had been calm at first but then became angry.

Hempstock was ordered to pay £1,000 in compensation to Mr Pearson and also pay £250 towards the prosecution's costs.