A driver pursued a 62-year-old pedestrian into a bakery and punched him in the face, a court heard.
John O'Connor, of Larkin Close, in Crook, punched the man two or three times, knocking him onto a food display, Bishop Auckland Magistrates' Court was told.
O'Connor claimed the man kicked his vehicle as he walked towards Peters Bakers, in Ferryhill, on December 9, last year.
Alison Nunn, prosecuting, said the 41-year-old stopped the vehicle and followed him into the bakery.
He punched the man two or three times, leaving him bleeding from the head and nose.
Bruce Cunningham, mitigating, said O'Connor believed the man had struck his car, wanted to know why and thought the man was about to attack him.
"He accepts his actions went beyond self-defence. He's sorry. He wishes he had just driven on," Mr Cunningham said.
O'Connor pleaded guilty to one charge of assault by beating. He was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £100 compensation
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