William and Jeanette Wright are grandparents who arrived at the Plaza shopping centre in Palmerston North to do some early Christmas shopping.
A dispute over a car park led to Parker kung-fu kicking a terrified Mrs Wright, 57, in an attack that ended only when police aimed pepper spray at him.
Parker, 39, appeared in Palmerston North District Court for a defended hearing on a charge of intimidatory behaviour, having admitted assault and intentionally damaging the Wrights' car.
He still claims the diminutive Mrs Wright inflamed the situation by pushing him so hard that he was knocked off balance - and he had to knock her to the ground with a leg sweep because she was marching toward him.
The Wrights had beaten Parker to the car park on November 30 and he had approached them, the court was told.
Even though the next park was free a short time later, Parker abused the couple and followed them as they walked away.
The court was told Parker, who is 1.88 metres (6ft 2in) tall, punched Mrs Wright in the shoulder before leg sweeping her from behind.
"I couldn't believe what had happened," she told the court.
"I just had no power in me to get up. My leg was very sore ... I couldn't work for weeks."
When Constable Andrew Royds arrived Parker was abusing bystanders and the officer had to aim his pepper spray before Parker calmed down and was arrested.
Defence lawyer Fergus Steedman said Parker was remorseful and realised he had gone too far - but argued that Mrs Wright had inflamed the situation by being angry herself and had pushed him twice, enough to knock him off balance.
Parker denied punching her and told the court the leg sweep was done to defend himself when Mrs Wright marched at him.
Mr Steedman said that, at the time of the assault, Parker's sick daughter was screaming in his car.
A car accident a few years ago had left him unable to deal with stress.
Judge Nevin Dawson found Parker guilty of intimidatory behaviour.
The judge said the parties' accounts differed and, though the Wrights had taken Parker's park, his size and demeanour had terrified them.
He was pleased Parker had accepted responsibility for his actions and was undergoing anger management.
"You may have a `hair trigger' and there was doubtless provocation that day, however that is no justification for what you did.
"There are times we all have to just walk away."
Parker was sentenced to 200 hours' community work and nine months' supervision. He was ordered to pay more than $1100 in reparation.
Outside court, the Wrights said the experience had been traumatic and Parker had got off lightly.
"You should have heard the swear words, it was very frightening," Mr Wright said.
"He should have got a prison sentence, I just don't believe that talk about anger management."
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