Moments earlier, his neighbour Paul Wallace dragged him from his car before he could flee and threw him to the ground.

The man was repeatedly punched to the head, then put in a headlock.

IN OTHER NEWS:

A woman, a friend of the victim, tried to intervene by kicking and striking Wallace, who retaliated by pushing her into her car.

Wallace's actions in Moore Street outside the units where he and the victim lived at the time were slammed by Albury Local Court magistrate Richard Funston on Monday.

The fact this all played out in the nearby presence of the single dad's two very young children also drew the court's condemnation.

Wallace had tried to claim he was carrying out a citizen's arrest of the victim.

But on his own arrest, police told him his actions had so far exceeded such an apprehension that he had actually committed an assault.

"Your behaviour on this day was absolutely appalling," Mr Funston told Wallace.

MORE COURT STORIES

"It was disgraceful. We can't having people taking the law into their own hands.

"It seems like pretty angry offending to me."

Mr Funston said he accepted there was a history of animosity between Wallace and the other man, but "you can't see yourself as the victim here".

"And at the same time, you can't treat people like that," he said.

Nevertheless, Mr Funston said there was still a chance "you can turn your life around".

Prosecutor Sergeant Andrew Pike told the court there was nothing to support Wallace's claim the victim posed a genuine threat.

"He has no matters of violence on his record, or any incidents or events."

Sergeant Pike said jail was the appropriate sentence for Wallace, 47, who pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Police previously had been called to the Moore Street units "on a number of occasions" because of the ongoing dispute between Wallace and the victim.

Police said the victim supposedly received an eviction notice on December 20.

Late the next morning, the pair argued over the victim still being at the address.

Wallace approached the victim "aggressively" and began his assault.

He was convicted and placed on an 18-month community corrections order.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: