A FARMER kicked a female trading standards officer and threatened her with a mallet, a court heard yesterday.

David Bowe, of Blewery Grange, Hunton, near Bedale, North Yorkshire, was charged with assault and threatening behaviour following the incident.

He appeared at Northallerton Magistrates' Court, and was found guilty of both charges.

Earlier this month, he was found guilty of five offences of moving cows illegally under TB regulations and failing to produce documents.

Yesterday, trading standards enforcement officer Hannah Bailey told the court that she and her colleague, Lawrence Black, had gone to his farm to serve court summons for the five offences, on November 24 last year.

When they had tried to attach the papers to his door handle, Bowe, 51, approached them with a mallet in his hand.

"When you raise a mallet over your head, there was only one conclusion that I could draw - that he was going to swing for us," said Miss Bailey.

Mr Black then tried to give the papers to Bowe, but he would not accept them and swore at the pair, telling them to get off his land.

As they turned to leave, Bowe kicked out at Miss Bailey, catching her high on her left leg.

He then threatened Mr Black by swinging a ladder at him.

Bowe denied both charges and said he was being harassed by Miss Bailey over the keeping of his animal movement records.

He said he had not kicked her, although he admitted swearing at them both as they arrived.

Asked by Fiona McKechnie, prosecuting, if he could find a good word to say about trading standards officials, he said no.

He will be sentenced for all seven offences on July 21.