Paul Crowther snapped when he fell victim to youths who cause chaos in Holbeck, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Crowther, 42, was walking to his Disraeli Terrace home when the gang surrounded him and started tormenting him.

The gang of youths ignored his pleas to leave him alone and pulled groceries from Crowther's bags and hurled them at him.

One struck him on the head, cutting him.

Crowther rushed into his house and stormed back out with a knife.

Police, called by the youths' parents, arrived at the scene and Crowther dropped the knife in his garden.

Crowther, now of Recreation Crescent, Holbeck, admitted the affray on January 15.

Judge Ian Dobkin ordered him to do 140 hours community service.

Judge Dobkin told Crowther: "You were insulted by them but what you did was completely wrong in the circumstances.

"I'm prepared to accept there was a background to this case. I'm prepared to accept you didn't go looking for trouble."

The court heard Crowther still has neurological problems after the injury to his head.

In mitigation, Kama Melly said the area in which Crowther lived had "considerable problems with young people". She said: "This was an area where there were windows broken, people tormented. Residential properties were being set on fire. As soon as the police arrived, the knife was laid down. There was no violence with it.

"He knows the dangers of taking a knife out. He felt if he stayed inside his house his windows would have been put through and other things would happen."

Miss Melly said Crowther broke up with his partner several years ago and ended up in a hostel.

But she said he later got a job as a plant operative and was getting his life back in order when the incident happened.