The former husband of Spice Girl Mel B lost his temper and "roared" with anger as he struck a disabled child, a court heard.

Jimmy Gulzar, 35, is alleged to have struck the autistic boy after the three-year-old pushed another child.

Both children had been playing at London Zoo on 1 September last year.

Mr Gulzar, a Dutch-born dancer from Willesden, north London, denies common assault.

'Hit hard'

Horseferry Road Magistrates' Court in London heard the boy was left sobbing and screaming after Mr Gulzar attacked him using "excessive force".

Prosecutor Nick Mather said: "Gulzar went over to the child and hit him hard on his backside causing him to cry.

"This wasn't self-defence and it wasn't defence of another, what took place was a momentary loss of temper and he struck out in anger."

The boy's mother told the court after the boy had pushed the two-year-old girl over, a man "came over blurting out something very aggressive" and hit her son.

"He was sobbing and screaming", she said.

"I said I was sorry and that he was autistic and he didn't mean it and then the man started shouting, blurting out, roaring really, so I picked up my son and took him away.

"He really scared me."

The woman admitted she was later paid �1,000 for her story by the News of the World.

'Exaggerated' story

Cross-examined by defence counsel John Burton, she admitted the description of the incident in the paper was "more flowery" than she had given.

The woman denied exaggerating the story once she knew who Mr Gulzar was.

She said she had no contract with any newspaper and denied speaking to other witnesses about her evidence.

She admitted her son had pushed and shoved other children in the past but denied he had stamped on one child's head.

Piers Barclay, who photographed the child and alerted a newspaper, told the court: "I was putting in the public interest that this person was around and was capable of carrying out an attack on a child who was defenceless."

He admitted receiving �2,000 from the newspaper but claimed it was unsolicited.

Mr Burton claimed Mr Gulzar had only tried to stop her son making another attack on the girl.

Mr Gulzar was given unconditional bail and the trial was adjourned until Wednesday.