A PARENT who assaulted a York school’s deputy head teacher has walked free from court after being handed a community order and told to pay £75 in compensation to his victim.

York magistrates gave the 38-year-old father from north York a 24-month community order and ordered him to pay a total of £255 in costs and other charges, including the compensation payment.

The community order involves participation in rehabilitation activities with the probation service for up to 35 days.

The court was told last month that the assault had left the teacher doubled up in pain.

The father, who is not being named to protect his son, pleaded guilty then to assaulting the deputy head teacher.

The guilty plea was on the basis he had pushed and not punched the teacher, but he accepted that he had winded him, said Martin Butterworth, prosecuting on that occasion.

He said the prosecution did not accept that basis but the magistrates decided the difference between prosecution and defence would not affect the sentence.

Mr Butterworth said then that the father’s 14-year-old son had earlier injured the teacher.

He said staff at the school, which is also not being named, had had to restrain the son on June 30 because he was throwing things around and threatening people.

Shortly afterwards, the deputy head saw the father walking across the school car park.

The teacher told police he had told the father the son had injured him.

He asked the father to talk with him and the school’s head about the boy in the head’s office.

The deputy head told police the father punched him with a clenched fist and landed the blow to his right lower ribs with force.

He said he had immediately doubled up in pain and left the reception area.

“I was in complete shock,” he said in his statement.

Elisha Canning said in mitigation that no injury had been suffered and the father was "deeply remorseful".

She said he had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and was the sole provider for his family.

He had been under stress at the time of the incident as his wife was ill and he had been looking after their children alone.

She said the son had rung his father about the deputy head teacher and said he was locked in a room.

He had sounded so distressed that the parent had gone straight to the school.

The Press sought to contact the deputy head for comment after the sentencing but he was not available.

A community order is one of the non-custodial sentencing options available to magistrates and judges in England and Wales, and can provide punishment and rehabilitation for an offender in the community instead of in prison.