A NEW Forest man kicked a baby's pushchair, banged two children's heads together and terrified a young mum so badly that she rang the doorbell of a house and dashed inside and hid in a cupboard, a court heard.

But, after being told by defence solicitor Alan Stafford that since the incident Stuart Drodge had saved every penny he could so he would be able to pay compensation to his victims, New Forest magistrates decided against a prison sentence.

Instead, he was ordered to pay £200 each out of those savings to Elizabeth Brown and her partner Ian Beacham and two other victims, Michael Finch and Sandra Allsopp.

Prosecutor Mark Gammon said that Drodge:

l Hurled himself against the plate glass window of a shop in Lymington's St Thomas' Street but didn't break it.

l Kicked Mrs Brown's baby buggy which had her five-and-a-half-month-old daughter in it.

l Tried "to her horror" to escort her and Mr Beacham home and kicked out at a parked car.

l Grabbed a boy and a girl aged between 12 and 14 and banged their heads together, leaving the girl crying and "frozen to her bike" and the boy lying on the ground holding his head.

Mrs Brown reached Emsworth Road, Lymington, with Mr Beacham trying to shepherd Drodge away from her and the baby and from the children he had attacked and rang a door bell.

Drodge also got to Emsworth Road and put his hands on to the head of Mr Finch, who had heard the commotion and come out of his house.

Mr Finch thought he would be head-butted, but managed to push Drodge away, only to see him cross the road and push a young man over a brick wall.

Mr Stafford said Drodge, 21, of Ringbury, Lymington, had got into a drunken state after consuming a potent mix of Red Bull and vodka but was full of remorse.

In addition to the compensation orders, he was told by bench chairman Mrs Sara Locock to work 200 hours' community punishment and pay £140 costs.