AN ELECTION hopeful said he was left “seeing stars” after a leading councillor slapped him at a by-election count, knocking four teeth out.

Mike Beggs is suing Penny Jackman for £7,500 and costs following the incident at the Lymington and Pennington Town Council by-election in 2012.

The two are facing each other in court, where she has admitted slapping him but says she was reacting to his “threatening” and “aggressive” behaviour – something he denies.

The row between the two developed after Mr Beggs produced a copy of a Daily Mail article naming her in coverage of a dispute over Lymington Cricket Club’s future alongside his election leaflet, although he said all other candidates – including the Conservative one – had also made it an issue.

The town council, which district councillor Cllr Jackman sits on as a Conservative, had proposed moving the cricket club as balls were being hit into tennis courts and pathways nearby, but it provoked a fierce backlash and the plans were eventually shelved.

Southampton County Court yesterday heard that the two had once been friends, with Cllr Jackman, of Pennington, saying he had once taught her how to use an air rifle, but his use of the Daily Mail article had “considerably upset” her.

Both were at the town council by-election count on February 9, 2012, when Cllr Jackman says she was approached by Mr Beggs.

The 75-year-old from Sway, who had been a Conservative but defected to UKIP and was standing at the election, said he said “hello Penny” but she said he greeted her in a “mocking tone”.

She said she told him it had been a “shabby trick” to reprint the Daily Mail article and admitted swearing at him.

She said that she tried to move away but he followed her and was “snarling” at her and “in my face” – something Mr Beggs denies.

Ben Corbridge, a Conservative election agent at the count, said Mr Beggs “appeared to be threatening” Cllr Jackman, but Mr Beggs’ guest at the event Norman Fancett, who he had signed in as his election agent, described the conversation as “amiable”.

She said he put his face towards hers, saying: “Think yourself lucky I didn’t refer to the Posh Penny and her Land Rover on the cricket pitch incident.

It was then that Cllr Jackman slapped Mr Beggs’ face with her right hand.

She said she “felt trapped” by a table was behind her and that a “fight or flight” instinct took hold, but after questioning from Mr Beggs’ barrister Michael Walker, a tearful Cllr Jackman said: “I was in a violent relationship and I believe that is the reason I acted the way I did.”

Mr Beggs said he thought she had been turning to leave but was actually "winding up for a big smack" which made him "see stars in my head".

He added: "I was slapped extremely hard by a strong lady, enough to break my teeth."

Four teeth, including a molar which has still not been replaced, were knocked out.

Mr Beggs withdrew a claim for whiplash as the amount claimed for was "peanuts" but said he cannot chew o?n his left side saying "I have to eat all of my steak on the right side and my teeth are suffering from it".

He told the court?: "I certainly think it was an attack on me because I had changed from the Conservatives to UKIP, I think that politics motivated it.”

Mr Walker said the real reason for the slap was the “Posh Penny” reference, which Cllr Jackman denied, and questioned why she apologised “profusely” to Mr Beggs in an email the next day.

The court also heard from Lymington resident Jacqui Reader who said she saw Cllr Jackman “thump” journalist and resident Robert Barrett in the back at a previous town council meeting in 2011, but her barrister Jonathan Swift said that she had just “tapped him on the shoulder” to get his attention.

She told the court: “I’m not a violent person, I know people are trying to paint a picture of me being violent.

“If I was I would beat my horses but I don’t.”

Mr Walker said Cllr Jackman was “making it up” when she said she had seen Mr Beggs speak “aggressively” to his own son on two occasions, while she described him as being an “unpleasant man when he loses his temper”.

Mr Beggs said he initially contacted New Forest District Council to claim for damages on its personal insurance indemnity, and said: “I was told by [New Forest District Council leader] Barry Rickman and [former Mayor of Lymington] Anna Rostand not to rock the boat.”

Mr Swift accused Mr Beggs of looking to make "political capital" out of the incident and that he sent her a "threatening" email after when he suggested they send out a joint press release about the matter, which he denied, saying he wanted to prevent the incident being used by her “political enemies”.

Police arrested Cllr Jackman, who stood down from the town council's amenities committee after the incident, but no further action was taken against her.

Proceeding.