A RETIRED policeman allegedly hit a 28-year-old man with a police baton during a noisy neighbour dispute, a court has heard,

Lee Weavers, 60, took the baton with him when he went to his neighbour Ben Jarrett’s flat to complain about loud music being played at a barbecue on a balcony, Ipswich Crown Court was told.

After banging on the front door of the shared accommodation in Duke Street, Ipswich, where Mr Jarret lived, Weavers had walked in to a hallway and allegedly grabbed hold of Mr Jarrett before pinning him down on the ground with the baton across his windpipe and then hitting him on the head with it.

Weavers, of Coprolite Street, Ipswich has denied having the police baton as an offensive weapon and assaulting Mr Jarrett causing him actual harm on August 11 last year.

John Farmer, prosecuting, told the court that Weavers had been a policeman until 2000 and had a fourth floor flat near Neptune Marina.

On the evening of the alleged offences a complaint had been made to the police about loud music being played at a neighbouring block of flats and there had allegedly come a time when Weavers decided to do something about it himself.

Mr Farmer said Weavers had armed himself with a police baton he had retained from his police service and had gone to the block of flats where the loud music was being played at around 8.15pm.

He alleged that after assaulting Mr Jarrett with the baton Weavers had hidden the weapon and had told police that he had been the victim of an assault by Mr Jarrett.

Giving evidence Mr Jarrett said he had gone downstairs after hearing the front door bang and had seen Weavers, who he did not know, in the hallway with a black object under his arm.

He claimed Weavers had refused his request to leave and had pinned him down with the baton across his windpipe, making it difficult for him to breathe, before striking him twice on the head with it.

Mr Jarrett said he had tried to get the baton away from Weavers and admitted head-butting him during the struggle.

He told the court he was initially arrested by police after the incident but was freed after he accused Weavers of assaulting him.

Cross-examined by Anna Hamilton-Shield for Weavers Mr Jarrett admitted that he had a number of previous convictions for offences of violence. However he denied that he had been the aggressor in the incident on August 11.

The trial continues today.