Police have charged a 44-year-old Hamilton man they say attacked a boy during an after-school sports program last month.

Leslie Baddeley allegedly approached two boys, aged 11 and 13, as they were playing ball at a school in the Hamilton Mountain area on Jan. 18.

Police say he talked to them about how they were playing, then grabbed the ball and threw it with “deliberate and excessive” force at the 13-year-old boy, hitting him in the head.

A staff member saw what happened and told officials at the school, who then called police.

Officers arrested Baddeley at home Wednesday morning and charged him with assault with a weapon.

He was held in custody for a bail hearing.