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A HEREFORD teenager has been handed a community order after punching his neighbour during a heated argument.

Robert Barratt-Davies entered guilty pleas to charges of assault by beating and common assault when he appeared before magistrates in Hereford.

The court heard the 18-year-old was arguing with his mother outside on June 18 before he assaulted the couple living next door.

The pair had come outside having heard the commotion between mother and son.

Barratt-Davies confronted the neighbours, asking "What are you looking at?" before punching the man in the face, causing him to fall backwards, and raising his fists at the woman. 

He then backed away and apologised after the woman said: "Don't you dare hit me."

Barratt-Davies told police that the neighbours made him feel uncomfortable and angry, and he said he felt "intimidated and threatened" by the woman "because she had a cigarette".

A victim impact statement from the woman said: "I feel very scared and I feel very angry. I do not wish to have ever moved here. I worry about our safety. [The defendant] needs mental health support for himself and his family."

Representing Barratt-Davies, defence solicitor Marilena Divitantonio said that the defendant suffers from mental health problems and "issues as to how people perceive him". He had been diagnosed with "developmental trauma" as a child and was said to experience a high level of anxiety and panic attacks.

He admitted to a small amount of cannabis use, to which magistrates said: "You need to sort that because that will not help your mental health at all."

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Sentencing Barratt-Davies to a six-month community order with up to 10 days of rehabilitation activities, magistrates said: "We appreciate you've got some problems but assaulting folk is not acceptable."

Barratt-Davies, of Pine Grove, was told to pay a fine of £50, as well as compensation of £114 to the neighbour he punched.

He must also pay prosecution costs of £85.