A professional carer who criticised an able-bodied motorist for leaving his car in a supermarket's disabled parking was subjected to verbal abuse.

Carlisle's Rickergate Magistrates' Court heard that Derek Robinson, 51, was so annoyed at the woman pointing out the error of his ways that he swore at her, leaving her upset.

In court, Robinson, of Waldergrave Road, Longsowerby, Carlisle, entered a guilty plea to a charge of using threatening behaviour on April 6 this year.

John Moran, prosecuting, said victim Lucy Armstrong had been working as a carer when she had cause to take her client to the city's Asda supermarket.

"She saw the defendant reversing his car into the disabled parking bay," said Mr Moran.

"She told him that he shouldn't be parking there and he then became verbally abusive towards her." Robinson had directly sworn at the victim.

Mr Moran said that the defendant had been out of trouble since an appearance in court for a serious matter - a public order offence of some kind - in 2003.

Sara Budniak, for Robinson, said her client did admit swearing at the victim.

"As far as he was concerned, it was a dispute about a car parking space," she said. The lawyer said the victim had mentioned a previous issue professionally and the confrontation had clearly brought back some bad memories, she said.

"But Mr Robinson wasn't to know about that.He apologised during his police station interview."

She said the defendant had gone through a rough time recently and he would not normally conduct himself in the way that he did on that day.

A self-employed businessman, earning £450-a-week, he was currently getting only between two and four hours sleep per day and it was incredibly stressful running his business.

In addition, his brother had passed away just four months before the incident.

District Judge Gerald Chalk imposed a £250 fine, with a £30 victim surcharge and £85 prosecution costs.