TWO men have avoided jail after assaulting a farmer as he drove his tractor along a Ryedale road.

Tony Eddon, from Pickering, was attacked in July 2009 when a man jumped in front of his vehicle at a roundabout in the town.

When Mr Eddon got out of his tractor to remonstrate, Steven Emerson and Sam Taylor punched and kicked him.

The beating left him with injuries to his face, shoulder and foot.

Emerson and Taylor, who were 22 and 18 respectively at the time, have now been sentenced to 51 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for two years.

They were originally arrested in October 2009 and charged with causing actual bodily harm to Mr Eddon, but maintained their innocence until they appeared before a judge at York Crown Court and changed their pleas to guilty.

Judge Roger Ibbotson also ordered Emerson and Taylor to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work and pay a total of £1,300 in compensation to Mr Eddon, as well as £2,000 in court costs. They will both also come under the scrutiny of the Probation Service for a 12-month period.

PC Stewart Ashton, who investigated the assault, said: “I am relieved for Mr Eddon and his family that this long-running court case has finally been settled and Emerson and Taylor have admitted to what they have done.

“I hope it brings some closure to the victim of this unprovoked assault and that the sentences act as a deterrent to others.”