A CHAINSAW wielding maniac is back on his terror beat - despite getting a thumping from one victim who was a little too scared.

It was all in a day's work for part-time actor Merril Joshua when he donned a mask and picked up his fake chainsaw ready to frighten visitors to a seaside attraction.

But a trip through the Terror Tower on Scarborough's seafront proved too much for Adrian Bell.

After 15 minutes of being terrified by mock-ups of film villains including Psycho's Norman Bates, Hannibal Lecter and Dracula, the 29-year-old snapped when he saw Merril coming out of the darkness, impersonating the villain from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

As he fled the fairground attraction, Bell, of Thornaby on Teesside, thumped the actor in the face, leaving him with a cut and bruised lip.

The incident left Bell facing the town's magistrates on an assault charge - but Merril has refused to let the attack put him off his terrifying business.

A spokeswoman at the attraction said Merril had been shaken but not seriously hurt and would still be frightening the visitors.

Bell, who paid £1.95 to see the animatronic terrors, was said to be too embarrassed to talk about the incident.

He was ordered to pay £75 compensation and £50 costs and given a 12-month conditional discharge after Monday's assault