A civilian Police mechanic was given a conditional discharge yesterday for attacking his step daughter with a machete as she held her infant.

Jefferson Lauayne Catlyn pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm before Acting Senior Magistrate Carlisle Greaves.

The court heard an argument broke out in his Mary Victoria Road, Devonshire home on July 10 this year.

When his step daughter ran to help her mother, Catlyn locked the bedroom door and shouted: "This is my house, you don't pay any rent."

The 27-year-old step daughter rang the Police. Catlyn left the house and returned through the window with a machete and waved it at the step daughter as she held her son.

He then struck her on the buttocks with the machete.

As she turned away from him still cradling her son, Catlyn struck her again across the hand cutting three of her fingers as she tried to protect herself.

Crown Counsel Charmaine Smith said the victim feared for her life at this point and Catlyn was led out of the house by his wife and son. He was arrested but denied the assault despite still having the machete.

Mr. Greaves said Catlyn had an issue with having the step daughter in his house and wondered why he was in a batterer's programme but a probation officer pointed out that Catlyn had a moderate risk of reoffending.

Catlyn's lawyer Victoria Pearman said her client, originally from Barbados, had no previous convictions in any jurisdiction.

"He was more surprised than anyone to find himself in this predicament. He's a very mild mannered person," she said.

She later said the victim had been quite right to defend her mother. Ms Pearman said both Catlyn and his wife, who had dropped charges against him earlier, were trying to get on with their lives.

The court heard the couple had domestic problems. Mr. Greaves said: "He's both victim and persecutor it seems."

Ms Pearman said: "It's really a case of Mr. Catlyn striking back."

Mr. Greaves suggested the couple would both benefit from counselling.

"Women should learn you can't expect to push around your man and not get some response in the same way you can't expect to push a woman around and not get a response. It's natural to get a response. The response of the step daughter didn't seem unreasonable. He thought in his house she should not be getting in his business."

He said he took into account that Catlyn was getting treatment although he took issue with calling him a batterer.

"I prefer to call him a patient."

He ordered Catlyn finish the 26-week course and gave him a six-month conditional discharge which would be breached if he got into similar outbreaks of violence involving his family.