A "COMMITTED Christian" made a 10-year-old boy wet himself with fright after attacking him, a court heard.

Furious John Cowie shook the schoolboy, pushed him to the ground and ripped his T-shirt after he repeatedly threw stones near to where he was fixing a boat on the towpath.

Despite causing a three-inch graze and the boy to urinate in his trousers, 44-year-old Cowie said he felt completely justified in his actions and the boy "wouldn't do that again in a hurry".

Charles Hardy, prosecuting at Droitwich Magistrates Court yesterday, said the incident started when Cowie saw three youths throwing stones on the opposite bank near Merrimans Hill, Worcester.

"He told them to leave and they did, but returned and started throwing stones again," he said.

"He grabbed one lad and shook him, throwing him to the floor.

"Then he picked him up, ripped his T-shirt and pushed him away.

"The lad was so frightened, he wet himself, before running to his parents."

Father-of-four Cowie, who has no previous convictions, admitted assaulting the boy on Sunday, July 8.

Dale Sheehan, defending, said his client was ashamed and remorseful but had wanted to "shoot a warning shot across the young lads' bows".

"The aggravated feature in this is the boy's young age," he said.

"But there was a degree of provocation.

"He wasn't working on his own boat so he was even more protective of it, and one stone did actually make contact."

Acted impulsively

Mr Sheehan said Cowie, of Merrimans Hill Road, admitted he acted impulsively but felt he needed to challenge the youths.

"He didn't mean to deliberately hurt the lad and realises he should have dealt with it in a different way.

"It is an unpleasant case with one of the boys' parents threatening to shake him off his ladder afterwards.

"He is a hard-working committed member of the Christian church, who does a lot of charitable work in foreign countries, and this is not how he wants to be portrayed."

Cowie was fined £100 and ordered to pay £70 compensation with £50 costs.