A man reversed his car into a woman and toddler, then threw himself 40 feet into a moat, in his desperation to escape an assailant pursuing him over a debt.

A judge heard details of the dramatic chase at Fort Hamilton before sentencing the assailant, father-of-seven McLee Smith, to a year in jail.

Smith, 32, from Sandys, pleaded guilty in June to unlawfully wounding Andre Blackstock.

Outlining the case during the sentencing on Friday, prosecutor Robert Welling explained Mr. Blackstock was parked in his BMW at the fort last November 8 with his partner Neseyah Jones.

Smith was at the venue with his partner Diante Trim and their two-year-old son when he spotted Mr. Blackstock who allegedly owed him money.

According to the prosecutor, Smith opened Mr. Blackstock's car door, causing him to reverse the car backwards in an attempt to get away. The manoeuvre caused Ms Trim and her son to be pinned underneath the rear bumper.

Blackstock ran away, and was chased by Smith for more than 100 yards before he caught him and threw punches in his face.

"Fearful of a serious attack, Mr. Blackstock climbed over a barbed wire fence and jumped 40 feet into the moat below," said Mr. Welling. "From his launch position, he was unable to see where he would land, given the screen of undergrowth. It's fortunate that he managed to land on his feet and to miss a small wall that jutted out several feet from the base of the moat and wall."

As a result of the altercation Mr. Blackstock suffered a "serious slice wound" to his left thumb, which required plastic surgery. He also suffered three large cuts to his right arm that needed stitches, cuts to his right knee, and bruises and grazes to his arms and legs.

Smith and his partner took Mr. Blackstock's BMW after the attack and crashed it into a wall at the junction of Happy Valley Road and King Street as the Police pursued them.

"The defendant was pepper sprayed because he failed to comply with Police directions," explained the prosecutor.

In a Police interview, Smith admitted he confronted Mr. Blackstock over money owed for gold jewellery.

"When I saw him jump into the moat I feared the jump would have killed him," said Smith, who has one previous conviction for possessing a cannabis cigarette.

He was originally charged with wounding Mr. Blackstock with intent to do grievous bodily harm, possessing a sword and aggravated vehicle taking. However, he pleaded guilty on the day his trial was due to begin to a lesser charge of wounding, which the Crown accepted.

He was cleared of the more serious charges as a result.

On Friday, defence lawyer Marc Daniels urged Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves not to send Smith to prison, but instead mete out a suspended sentence.

He said of the defendant's large family: "He's not simply a baby-daddy or a sperm donor but an active father in the lives of his children. His children are his world."

According to Mr. Daniels, Smith sold some gold bracelets to Mr. Blackstock months earlier to provide money for his children, and these were delivered to Mr. Blackstock via a third party.

However, he alleged, Mr. Blackstock refused to come up with the payment despite repeated requests.

On the day in question, Mr. Daniels said Smith seized the opportunity to speak to him about that when he spotted him by chance. However, he lost his temper after Mr. Blackstock reversed his car into his partner and child.

"All of his previous frustration and irritation over his dealings with Mr. Blackstock came to a head," said Mr. Daniels. "As a result, Mr. Smith made a bad decision. That decision was to chase after Mr. Blackstock using more of his lower self, the animalistic side, the emotive side of his character as any human being has."

He claimed Smith tried to grab onto Mr. Blackstock's jeans to assist him as he inched along the barbed-wire fence, but Mr. Blackstock threw himself into the moat.

"He's not saying Smith pushed him," noted Mr. Daniels who told this newspaper after the hearing that Smith's child and girlfriend were both injured by the car pinning them.

Speaking before the judge meted out the jail term, Smith said: "I'm just sorry for my actions and I know for a fact that I made a mistake. I let money get in the way of what could be my freedom and I will never be here again."