A 21-year-old man has been spared a custodial sentence after being convicted of two counts of assault.

Jack Lee Kay, of Chester Road in Sutton Weaver, was handed a community order when he appeared before Chester Magistrates Court on Wednesday (January 25).

The offences relate to two victims and an incident at an address in Frodsham on October 30 last year.

The court heard that Kay pushed a woman during an argument, for which he was later charged with assault by beating.

He was then said to have called a teenage boy – who cannot be named for legal reasons – a ‘midget’ and told him he would ‘choke’ him, for which he was charged with common assault for the threat of violence.

Kay, a student at West Cheshire College, was also convicted of failing to comply with the requirements of post-custodial supervision, stemming from an offence in 2015.

Presiding magistrate Mark Turner said they had decided to ‘step back’ from custody on this occasion and instead imposed a 12-month community order, which includes a rehabilitation activity requirement and 80 hours of unpaid work.

He also ordered Kay to pay £40 compensation to the teenage victim, £100 compensation to the female victim, £620 in court costs, an £85 victim surcharge and fined him £50 for breaching the terms of the post-custodial supervision.

A restraining order in relation to any contact with the two victims was also granted.