A man's "haphazard hosing" landed him in court after he sprayed his neighbours with water.
Steven Newman used a hosepipe to jet water over his fence and soak the family living next door as they were sat having a barbecue during the first national coronavirus lockdown last year.
The whole incident was caught on CCTV and the 52-year-old was arrested for two counts of assault by beating after the victims reported him to the police.
Former serviceman Newman, of Beadnell Avenue, in North Shields, pleaded guilty to the offences during a hearing at North Tyneside Magistrates' Court on Tuesday but on the basis he had been reckless.
Iain Martin, prosecuting, said it was the Crown's case that the act was deliberate and Newman had intentionally sprayed the family with water.
Mr Matin added: "We would say that the victims were in the garden having a barbecue on May 28 and the defendant has deliberately sprayed water over their fence and at them.
"It was an intentional act by the defendant and not a reckless one."
However, Stuart Athey, defending, maintained it was an accident as Newman had been watering his hedge and climbing plants.
Mr Athey continued: "He's ex-military and was talking to a serving military friend in his garden. He had a hosepipe, which was set at a fine spray, rather than a jet.
"He's got bushes and climbing plants on his fence and he was spraying his plants.
"He had consumed a couple of cans with his friend and was not as careful as he should have been in spraying his plants. You can't actually see him in the CCTV.
"It's rather haphazard hosing. It's unfortunate and reckless. He could see the water was going over the fence but it was not deliberate - he didn't know his neighbours were having a barbecue."
Magistrates decided that neither the prosecution's version of events, nor the defendant's, would make a difference to sentence.
They gave Newman a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered him to pay £85 costs and a £22 victim surcharge.
