A BORDERS pensioner who assaulted a child has been ordered to be of good behaviour for the next four months.

Seventy-five-year-old Stuart Campbell, of Hawick, pleaded guilty to the offence which happened outside his home in Liddesdale Court on the evening of May 31.

Procurator fiscal Alasdair Fay told Jedburgh Sheriff Court that youngsters were playing in a public play park around 7pm when a ball came over the fence and struck the wall of his home.

He said: “The accused started shouting and swearing at the children. He grabbed one boy by the hoodie he was wearing and grabbed the ball out of his hands.

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“The accused fully co-operated with the police and admitted what he had done.”

Defence lawyer Ross Dow said the first offender was struggling at the time with his mental health.

He said: “He had split with his partner and had been sleeping rough in Edinburgh before getting a house back in Hawick.

“He was at a pretty low ebb and took his frustration out on this young boy. He has never been in trouble before.”

Sentence was deferred until July 3.