A court has heard how a woman's 17-month old daughter was "snatched" from her in a car by her grandmother, leaving the mother distraught at the roadside.

The child's father Graeme Harding, 31, said that he and his partner Michelle Mann were concerned because they did not want their child's grandfather Michael Mann to look after her because just days earlier he had taken an overdose and they felt he was not fit for the task.

The disagreement came to a head as Mr Harding tried to retrieve his daughter from Mr and Mrs Mann home in Orton Road, Carlisle, on the morning of June 25.

Mr Mann accused Mr Harding of twice punching him - but after hearing evidence magistrates declared him not guilty of common assault.

The trial heard at the city's Rickergate courts complex heard how on June 25 Mr Mann's wife Myra volunteered to look after the couple's toddler while they were at work but Michelle Mann had not realised that the child would later be left alone for a spell with Mr Mann.

When she did realise this, as Mrs Mann was dropping her off at work in Carlisle, she tried to take her daughter out of the car they were in.

But before she could do so, Mrs Mann drove off, with the door partly open and the child still inside.

Michelle man - tearful and distressed - then rang Mr Harding, himself about to go to work, and asked retrieve their daughter from Orton Road.

In her evidence, Michelle Mann said she had not wanted her father to be left in charge of her daughter. "A few days before he had taken an overdose and I didn't want him looking after [our daughter]. I didn't have a problem with my mother looking after her," she said.

But just before arriving in town, she heard Mrs Mann tell the child that her grandfather would be looking after her that day because she had an optician's appointment.

She told her mother:"Oh no - he's not watching her. I'm going to ring Graeme to come and collect her." As she was trying to get her daughter from the back of the car, Mrs Mann drove off, with the car door partly open. "I just broke down crying," she said.

"I broke down on the floor screaming, saying give me my daughter back. People from work were there and they were shocked by what happened."

She then rang Mr Harding, asking him to get their daughter.

In his evidence, Mr Harding, of Henderson Road, Currock, said that on the Wednesday before the confrontation Mr Mann was trying to feed his and Michelle's daughter but he couldn't do it because the child was teething.

"So he stormed out of the house and tried to kill himself," he said. He admitted he did not like his partner's parents "because of their behaviour."

Describing what happened on June 25, he said he arrived at the Mann's house, walking in, and asking to have his daughter back. Asked how he felt, he said: "I was upset - as any dad would be - especially at the way that she was snatched."

He said Mrs Mann driving off as she did was "irresponsible and unsafe."

When he arrived at the Mann's home, he went into the kitchen, where his daughter saw him, seemed happy and raised her arms and said: "Dada!"

Denying that he was angry, he said he told them he could not believe Mrs Mann drove off with the child against his partner's wishes.

"I was upset as any dad would be," he said.

He said Mr and Mrs Mann began shouting at him.

Mr Mann then asked him outside. His father-in-law claimed that while outside Mr Harding twice punched him in the face. But Mr Harding said it was Mr Mann who caused the trouble, first pushing him and then trying to punch him.

He dodged the blow, but because he was up against a fence gate post he twice hit out at Mr Mann in self-defence, he said. "I just got out of the way. I needed to get myself to safety.

"I didn't want to get battered."

In his evidence, Mr Mann said he had taken an overdose while depressed.

On the day of the incident, Mr Harding was "loud and aggressive," and in a not very pleasant mood, Mr Mann told magistrates.

Challenged by defence solicitor Steven Marsh, who said Mr Harding had every right to ask for his daughter to be returned to him, Mr Mann said: "He came into the house demanding. If things had been done in a sensible and calm manner this whole situation would never have happened."

He admitted that he did not like Mr Harding but denied pushing him or trying to punch him.

Mrs Mann said confirmed that she knew her daughter did not want her husband to look after his granddaughter but insisted the child would have come to no harm.

She accepted that she drove off as her daughter was trying to open the car door but she said there was no danger as her daughter had not yet leaned into the car. When Mr Harding arrived at her home, she said he was shouting at the top of his voice.

She suggested he had "trespassed" by walking into their home without knocking. She did not see what happened outside the house because she was attending to her granddaughter but Mrs Mann said afterwards her husband's had a bright red eye.

Her daughter collected the granddaughter later that day.

She added that the child was perfectly safe with her husband.

Mr Marsh pointed out that she had no right to take her granddaughter that day against her daughter's wishes. Mrs Mann replied: "As grandparents we have looked after her all this time... Had he [Mr Harding] come in and been polite, and said he was not happy about what happened, I would have been perfectly happy."

As they announced their not guilty verdict, chairman of the magistrates Michael Little said there had been contradictions in Mr Mann's evidence, at first saying he did not know his daughter did not want him to look after the child and then admitting he did.

"He was willing to tell half-truths," said Mr Little.

He said magistrates felt they could not rely on Mr Mann's evidence and they saw no reason to disbelieve Mr Harding, whose actions had been proportionate.