LITTERING sparked a ‘really nasty’ attack.

Owen Parkes, of Waterloo Road in Runcorn, has avoided jail after pleading guilty to assault.

The 23-year-old punched a man in the face following a spat over littering.

Sarah McInerney, prosecuting, explained that the victim was driving to a friend's house on March 10, 2023, when he pulled alongside a car containing Parkes and another man, who has not yet been identified.

A disagreement broke out when Parkes threw a coffee cup out of the window.

Parkes asked the victim ‘what the f**k are you looking at?’ to which he responded: “Shame on you for dropping your coffee cup on the floor.”

Parkes replied ‘what’s it got to do with you’ before the matter progressed outside of the vehicles.

The other man involved struck the victim with a hammer before Parkes punched him in the face.

Parkes then grabbed the hammer and smashed the victim’s car window.

Jack Sweeney, defending, said his client has been diagnosed with PTSD following a ‘life-threatening’ incident that occurred when he was 16.

Parkes had been in the passenger seat of a car when an unknown person got in the vehicle and shot him in the leg.

He spent the following three weeks in hospital and now takes medication to manage his PTSD.

Mr Sweeney added that while Parkes doesn’t accept the victim’s account of what happened, he does admit to assaulting him.

He also says Parkes was ‘completely unaware’ the other individual involved had a hammer.

At Warrington Magistrates Court on Wednesday, Parkes was sentenced to 26 weeks, suspended for 24 months.

“This was a really nasty road rage incident,” said the magistrates.

“Please don’t leave here thinking you got away with anything.

“If you’re brought to court again that suspended sentence will very likely be activated.”

Parkes was also ordered to pay the victim £500 in compensation.