A Magistrate has given a conditional discharge to a Pembroke man who attempted to kiss his daughter goodbye but bit her cheek "unintentionally" when she turned away from him outside her school.

No explanation was given in court as to how the kiss turned into a bite, but Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner called the teeth marks on the eight-year-old was "an accidental injury". But he also steered clear of calling it accidental.

Fifty-year old Alan Power, of Mills Reach Lane was subject to a Family Court protection order and attended the Physical Abuse Centre for counselling prior to yesterday's court appearance and pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm to his daughter at 8 a.m. on May 6.

Crown Counsel Paula Tyndale said Power got out of the car at the school and turned to kiss his daughter on the cheek.

The girl turned away and in the process Power left a bite mark and a deep impression ? no skin was broken.

Ms Tyndale said the victim was left crying and the incident was reported to the school and Police and Family Services intervened and Power was taken to Hamilton Police Station and arrested.

Power's lawyer, Richard Horseman, said his client admitted to assaulting his daughter, making a "full and frank admission of guilt".

Mr. Horseman said Power, who has no previous convictions, accidentally bit his daughter on the cheek, "without the intention to do harm and did not realise the gravity of the situation but is extremely remorseful for his actions".

The court heard that at the time of the assault Power was living his wife, the mother of the child, but the marriage has ended and he is no longer a resident of their home.

Mr. Horseman said Family Court placed a protection order on Power and he consented to the order and has attended the Physical Abuse Centre for counselling.

Mr. Warner said: "Notwithstanding the serious nature of the charges, this was an accidental injury. Teeth marks are not a sign of vicious act and I am not saying a bite was a kiss."

But Ms Tyndale responded: "I would hesitate to call teeth marks on a cheek as accidental."

In giving Power a twelve month conditional discharge (on the basis he attends abuse free counselling at the Physical Abuse Centre) Warner said: "Children have to be protected, I must consider the risk of this happening again but the domestic barrier (protection order) makes unlikely it will happen again."