A Fartown man has been jailed for breaking another’s arm with a baseball bat during a confrontation.

Carmel Pearson, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court that Robert Roche and David Brook had fallen out during the summer months.

Mr Brook had played a prank on somebody related to Roche and “he had taken it the wrong way.”

On June 17 when Mr Brook drove into his driveway in Wakefield Road, Huddersfield, he found Roche waiting.

Roche had a kitchen knife and it was his account he had gone there in response to threatening text messages and phone calls.

In his basis of plea he maintained Mr Brook also had a weapon and that there was a fight between them.

The baseball bat offence occurred at a later date on September 1 when there was another confrontation during which Mr Brook said he was struck a number of times.

Roche said he had been playing baseball in the early afternoon and reacted when he was approached by Mr Brook.

He claimed the complainant had a machete and accepted he went beyond reasonable self-defence.

Miss Pearson said Mr Brook managed to run off and when he got home his left arm was painful, he decided to have it checked at hospital and it was found to be broken. He needed an operation and a skin graft.

The final incident between the two men was on September 15 when after further text exchanges Mr Brook heard noises outside his home and discovered his car windscreen had been smashed.

Adam Birkby, for Roche, said he accepted his judgement had been poor in going to see the complainant on the first occasion but he had not sought the second confrontation.

Roche, 22, of Fartown Green Road, Fartown, admitted affray, having an offensive weapon, causing grievous bodily harm and criminal damage.

Jailing him for a total of 14 months, Judge Geoffrey Marson QC said he had a terrible record for offences of violence and possessing weapons.

“There was clearly a background to this but I shall be faithful to your basis of plea when I sentence you, without that the sentences would have been longer.”

On the first instance he had chosen to go armed with a knife, on the second it was accepted he had been playing baseball before he was approached but had acted beyond reasonable self-defence when he struck him breaking his arm.