A Nasty Trick On Halloween

Christopher Eslick the 61 year old from Plymouth, Devon, who punched an eight year old trick or treater in the face has pleaded guilty to the common assault outside his home at Halloween.

He had put a "no trick-or-treat" sign up in his window, he shouted and swore then struck the boy when he called. The boy was with a group of callers and was wearing a Gordon Brown horror mask. He was left shocked and with a cut lip.

The attack was witnessed by police community support officers there to make sure trick-or-treaters did not cause trouble, these officers were kept happy with bribes of fun-sized Mars bars and failed to avoid the crime in progress.

The judge told Eslick, "You are old enough to know better than to take your political angers and kill joy attitudes out on a young boy ."

Eslick who represented himself (as Ted Bundy did) said, "I feel there was an element of provocation but it is no excuse and I am distressed that I let my temper slip in this way, I should stick to beating my wife behind closed doors in future . "

Eslick was sentenced to 80 hours of community service, told to pay the victim £150 and put in a room with someone his own size for 5 minutes, the boy's father.