A teenage gardener who headbutted a juvenile in the Co-op in Castletown has been fined £350.

Matthew Flint, of Bollan Way, Glen Vine, admitted an offence of common assault and was also ordered to pay £50 prosecution costs.

Prosecuting advocate Roger Kane told the court that the victim, who was a juvenile, and Flint, who is 18, knew each other but had fallen out.

At 4.30pm on August 26 Mr Kane said that the victim went into the Co-op and had been followed by Flint.

There had initially been a verbal exchange between the pair but Flint then headbutted him in the face.

No lasting injury was said to have been caused by the butt. On August 28 Flint attended a voluntary interview with police and admitted the assault.

He told police the victim had been spreading rumours about him and his girlfriend and that he had felt he had to ’show him that it wasn’t right’.

Defence advocate Paul Glover asked for credit to be given for his client’s guilty plea and asked for the offence to be dealt with by way of a financial penalty.

He said: ’There was no serious injury, no pre-meditation, and no use of weapons.’