AN EAST Ayrshire dog lover battered a rival pooch’s owner with a hammer after they rowed following clashes between their pets.

George Johnstone attacked Tony Magorian after previous incidents involving the pair’s dogs in Darvel.

Johnstone armed himself with the claw hammer and used it as a weapon to assault Mr Magorian in a park in the town.

The details emerged this week when Johnstone, 59, appeared in the dock at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court in connection with the incident.

He struck a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to two charges in exchange for one being dropped.

He admitted being in possession of an offensive weapon, by having the hammer on him, and using the tool to assault Mr Magorian.

A charge that he had also behaved in a threatening or abusive way, by shouting and uttering a threat, in breach of Section 38(1) of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010, was dropped.

Procurator Fiscal Depute Lindzi Bayne said the incident took place at about 10am on Saturday, January 18 this year, on a grassy area near East Main Street, Darvel.

She explained: “The two witnesses were walking their dog and noted the accused entered the same area with his dog on a lead.

“There had been previous incidents between both parties, prior to this incident, involving the dogs.

“There was an exchange of words between the witnesses and the accused.

“At around 10.10am the witnesses observed the accused leaving the area and later re-enter the field.”

They spotted Johnstone walking towards them with a claw hammer in his hand, and saw him brandishing the weapon - before using it to launch his attack.

Miss Bayne, prosecuting, explained: “In defence, the witness put his hand up to cover his face and head from the claw hammer.

“The claw hammer struck Mr Magorian to the right forearm, causing a large bump, and also breaking the skin.

“The accused took a further swing towards the witness Magorian’s right side, striking him on the side of the body.

“He had a padded jacket on, so the second strike didn’t cause any injury to that particular area.

“The accused was taken to the ground by the witnesses and the claw hammer was removed from him.”

A few minutes later, once Johnstone had calmed down, they let him get back to his feet, and they all left the park and headed home.

Mr Magorian kept hold of the hammer and contacted police, with officers seizing the item when they attended his home.

Defence solicitor Gordon Ghee told Sheriff Michael Hanlon that Johnstone, of Glenbrig, Darvel, was a first offender with “a very responsible job.”

He said Johnstone was “very ashamed” by his actions and had armed himself in response to being threatened by Mr Magorian, at a time when he was struggling to come to terms with the death of loved ones.

Sheriff Hanlon called for background reports to be prepared and adjourned sentencing until next month.