A man got more than he bargained for when he assaulted a female friend of a former partner and received a pasting from furious vigilantes.

Thomas Marshall, 24, of Daleside Avenue, New Mill, Holmfirth , pleaded guilty at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court to assaulting Tracy Dawson at her home in Field Road, Holmfirth.

Prosecutor, Robert Campbell, told the bench the incident occurred on the evening of May 29.

He said: “Tracy is a friend of the defendant’s former partner, (Lindsey Parkin).

“She was at Tracy’s home and saw the defendant coming up the front drive.”

As it looked like he was going to get aggressive with Lindsey, Mr Campbell said: “Tracy felt it incumbent on her to stand between her and her former partner.

“She says she was grabbed by the throat and pushed up against the wall.

“Others in the neighbourhood, some young men, got involved and gave him a fairly severe beating.”

Carl Kingsley, in mitigation, said: “This defendant was in drink as were Lindsey Parkin and Tracy Dawson.

“Lindsey is recently estranged from him.”

He said: “When the ladies came out of the house they were joined by local men. He suffered a black eye and suffered a sound beating from somebody.

“What we can be sure of is that he didn’t go to the house to cause trouble.”

The chairman of the bench, Barry Bedford, fined Marshall, who is in full-time employment, £166 and ordered him to pay £250 costs as well as a surcharge of £30 at a rate of £40 per week.

A restraining order preventing him from contacting the complainant and from entering Field Road was also imposed.