No laughing matter.. East Lothian dad fined for fall out with farmer over kids' 'chap door, run' prank

An irate father who attacked a neighbour with a baton after the man had chased after his son for playing ‘chap door run’ has been ordered to pay his victim compensation.

Baton thug: Rudkin

Robert Rudkin whacked farmer David Hanna with the extendable weapon after he had grabbed his son by the clothing for banging on his door and running away.

Rudkin, 52, raced round to the area after hearing his son had been left “hysterical” following the confrontation with Hanna in Ormiston, East Lothian.

He spotted Mr Hanna in the street and swung the implement around, hitting him three times on the body.

Rudkin had pleaded guilty to the assault when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month and he returned to the dock for sentencing.

Sheriff Chris Dickson said: “This was a serious offence whereby you struck the complainer with a baton.”

The sheriff added he had considered a custodial sentence but ultimately stopped short of that and placed Rudkin on a community payback order along with a restriction of liberty order.

Rudkin was told he must pay Hanna £250 in compensation and must stay within his home between the hours of 8pm and 5am while wearing an electronic tag for the next 160 days.

He was also placed on a supervision order for 12 months and ordered not to approach or contact Mr Hanna for the next three years as part of a non-harassment order.

Previously the court was told Rudkin had approached Mr Hanna in the village at around 4.15pm on October 6, 2019.

Prosecutor Sarah Quinn said: “Words were exchanged and resulted in Mr Rudkin drawing an extendable baton from his waistband and began to swing towards the complainer.

“He swung it approximately nine times with two to three of the swings connecting with the complainer.”

The fiscal depute added Mr Hanna was struck on his left hand and to left side of his chest which left a three inch bruise and “caused soreness”.

Rudkin then fled the area by getting into a waiting car driven by a woman and police were subsequently contacted.

Unemployed Rudkin was later traced and arrested after officers identified him by viewing local CCTV footage.

Millie Virtue, defending solicitor, said Rudkin moved to nearby Tranent since the incident and that he “completely accepted responsibility for the offence”.

The lawyer added: “Had it not been his son who had contacted him, and not his son who had been shouted at, he would not have got as angry as he did.”

Rudkin pleaded guilty to assaulting David Hanna by repeatedly striking him on the body with a baton to his injury at Main Street, Ormiston, East Lothian, on October 6, 2019.

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