A father who grabbed a nine-year-old school bully by the scruff of the neck ended up in court charged with assault.

Simon Humphreys was charged with assaulting the child who came to his door and taunted him after a run-in with his son. But the judge granted him an absolute discharge after hearing the case.

The court heard the child refused to leave and stood smirking at Humphreys until he lost his patience and took the boy by the collar and marched him out of the gate.

Sheriff Lindsay Foulis told the 38-year-old: "In this day and age, when you are in any circumstances where an adult makes contact with a child, then that can have consequences for the adult.

"There are some circumstances, without a doubt, where the matter is serious and the court requires to take the appropriate view of the matter.

"In this particular case I do not take the view, either from the Crown summary of the case or the plea in mitigation, that we are dealing with anything of that nature here.

"It strikes me that not so long ago this sort of incident would never have seen the light of day. It would have been viewed as something that happens on occasions. It certainly wouldn't have troubled a court of law. I say that without criticising the procurator fiscal's office because they have to deal with things in a different environment now."

The court was told that the boys had been fighting earlier in the day in Comrie, Perthshire, after a row about a swing.

Humphreys accepted he had assaulted the boy at his home on June 27 because he had put a hand on him to push him out of the garden.

Fiscal depute John Malpass told the court that the boy had come to the Humphreys' door during the evening and was "remonstrating with the accused".

Outside court Humphreys said: "I regret the whole thing and I'm glad it's over. We live in a small village and don't want to say anything else."