AS far as deadly weapons go, a stick of rhubarb probably ranks alongside a wet sock for effectiveness.

But that didn't stop 50-year-old Margaret Porter ending up in court for assault with a stick of rhubarb.

Porter, of Tofts Farm, Newbiggin, in Wensleydale, North Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to assault when she appeared before magistrates in Northallerton yesterday.

The court heard how 72-year-old William Porter was reversing his Land Rover with the window open in the nearby village of Askrigg when the attack took place.

James Kemp, prosecuting, said the pensioner's sister approached and hit him with three sticks of rhubarb. One stick hit him in the eye, causing reddening and irritation.

The court was told the pair, who both live in the same village, do not get on.

The case was adjourned for sentencing until November 24.