A man who assaulted a Sandwell Council civilian enforcement officer for putting a parking ticket on his van has been handed a suspended jail sentence.

The man punched the officer several times to the body after his van was ticketed for parking in a residents only bay in Poplar Road, Smethwick.
 
The officer, who works for APCOA which enforces parking on Sandwell Council's behalf, called police who arrested the man and charged him with assault after the incident in November 2018. The man pleaded guilty at Dudley Magistrates Court on March 7.
 
The defendant was handed a four-week suspended prison sentence, ordered to do 100 hours community service and pay a £100 fine - plus £500 compensation to the officer he assaulted. Amy Harhoff, Sandwell Council's Director of Regeneration and Growth, said:

“This was a serious assault. Parking enforcement is an important part of the highway authority's role in keeping the roads safe and free of illegally parked vehicles.
 
“We will not tolerate any verbal abuse or physical assaults against anyone working for or on behalf of the authority.”