"I told them it was a private party and to clear off but this big youth put his face right into mine and said: 'make me'," said Mr Driman, 46. The South African electrical contractor said he had "sensed trouble" when he saw the youths outside and had armed himself with a decorative sjambok from inside the house.

The gang split into two groups and entered the house at the front and side, kicking a screen door off its hinges in the process. Mr Driman, the only adult at his son's party, confronted the ringleader as he came around the side of the house. "As I tackled him, six of them came over the top of me. I received a big hit to the side of my head," said Mr Driman. "It happened really quickly." His son Brennan said: "There were six or seven really big, buff guys on top of my dad, hitting him. I had to try and pull him out."

As he got clear Mr Driman started using the sjambok - a 1.5metre plastic whip like the traditional rhino hide whips used by South African herdsmen. "I am certainly not a hero. I just defended my property and my son's friends. There were a group of 15-year-old girls there too," said Mr Driman. "These guys were much bigger.

"People have had enough. This gang has been terrorising people whose kids are having parties for months now. Somebody needed to stand up to them." Brennan added: "I know that if Dad had not stood up to them they would have completely trashed the house and stolen anything they could get their hands on." None of the youths could be identified and so no charges were laid. Hornsby police were called to the incident and are understood to be considering whether the force Mr Driman used to protect his home was excessive.

NSW Police could not comment on the incident yesterday but a spokesman told the local paper Mr Driman had the right to defend himself - the question was whether he had used too much force. "All I would suggest, if a situation arises again, leave it to the police to handle," he said.

Mr Driman remained unrepentant: "I would gladly do it again. They picked on the wrong guy," he said.