A railway enthusiast deposed as chairman of a heritage society during a bitter and protracted power struggle yesterday pleaded guilty to assaulting a member of the group.

Geoffrey Evison, 52, pushed the man as he tried to force his way into a meeting of the Friends of Riccarton Junction, which had banned him from attending.

Evison, a founding member of the railway preservation society and its chairman until he was ousted, found his way blocked and so tried to force his way into the room.

In the process, the 30-stone former train guard, nicknamed the Fat Controller, pushed society member Peter Betts against a wall.

Police officers were on hand to witness the incident because Evison had called them in advance to demand they stop the meeting in Newcastleton Village Hall, Roxburghshire, from taking place.

Officers told Evison they were unable to stop the meeting, but attended, fearing there may be trouble.

They watched as Evison, who travels the country selling railway memorabilia, walked towards the entrance of the hall, demanded entry and then deliberately walked up to Mr Betts and collided with him.

Evison was fined £125 at Jedburgh Sheriff Court yesterday after pleading guilty to an assault charge of pushing Mr Betts to the body, whereby he was pushed against a wall.

Friends of Riccarton Junction in happier times

Juliet Petrusev, prosecuting, explained Evison had previously been chairman of the society but was no longer a member after being expelled.

She told the court Evison had discovered a meeting of the society, which was set up to restore part of the disused Waverley Line between Hawick and Carlisle in the Borders, was taking place from which he was banned.

She said: "This incident is part of an ongoing feud between the accused and the Friends of Riccarton Junction, a group of railway enthusiasts, who meet in the Hawick area."

Greg McDonnell, defending Evison, said his client had only been exercising his right by attending the meeting of the society, of which he was a founder member, adding that it had been wound up in its current form.

Evison's association with the Friends of Riccarton Junction was characterised by dispute and scandal.

There was an attempt to usurp Evison and allegations were made about financial irregularities.

The assault incident at the meeting in August happened just six days after the expiration of a deferred sentence handed down to Evison in February.

Then, he was up in court on a charge of breach of the peace after telling a bank manager who had closed the society's account that he should be "put up against a wall and shot".

Evison, of Westfield Avenue, Berwick-upon-Tweed, was still chairman of the Friends of Riccarton Junction at the time and lost his temper when a member who had been expelled had managed to have the society's bank account frozen.

Evison marched into the Melrose branch of the Bank of Scotland and made the staff call the manager of the Newcastleton branch, whom he threatened over the telephone.

He was admonished when he appeared in court in February and had sentence deferred for six months for good behaviour.

He was subsequently expelled from the society and six days after the deadline for his deferred sentence passed he assaulted Mr Betts at the meeting in Newcastleton.

Sheriff Kevin Drummond said that whatever the rights and wrongs of the dispute between members of Friends of Riccarton Junction, he had a duty to protect public order.

He told Evison: "Curiously, sentence had previously been deferred until August 21 to be of good behaviour when you were admonished and yet six days later you engaged in this kind of behaviour."