A father is fighting to see his four-year-old son after forcing him to stand on the sidewalk with a sign reading 'I hit girls' for an hour.

The creative punishment came after Rob Devine discovered his son Tristan had been harassing female classmates.

But when Tristan's mother Brittany Tweed heard about the stunt, she called social services and vowed to take full custody of the child.

Controversy: Rob Devine (left) forced his son Tristan (right) to hold this sign after hitting girls in school

Mr Devine, of Monroe, Michigan, is now fighting for the right to see Tristan and avoid a penalty.

However, he claims he does not regret the move.

'Honestly I just wanted to do what I felt was right for my son,' he told WXYZ.

'I want him to know you can't go out and do these things and expect them to go away unnoticed and expect me not to deal with it.'

Ms Tweed has refused to let Mr Devine see Tristan until he has taken parenting classes although she concedes that the CPS may not grant her full custody of the child.

She told the news channel: 'I think it's sad for a four-year-old to have to go on one of the busiest intersections holding a sign.

Custody battle: Tristan's mother Brittany Tweed (left) has refused to let Mr Devine see Tristan since the stunt

Sidewalk: Ms Tweed said making a four-year-old hold a sign on the intersection in Monroe, Michigan, was 'sad'

'Rob has had issues in his life, and no one put him out on the street and made him use a sign.'

The dispute has sparked controversy in the town and on social media.

Some tweeted 'this dad has gone too far'.

One said: 'Bad parenting all around, had he taught his son how to behave initially, this juvenile parenting tactic wouldn't even be on the table'

However, many supported the punishment.

Support: This tweeter saluted Mr Devine's move against violence in the wake of the Ray Rice scandal

Critics: Many people took to Twitter to condemn the father for the 'juvenile parenting tactic'

A Twitter user wrote: 'This mom is ridiculous!'

Another saluted the move for condemning violence in the wake of the Ray Rice scandal, when a video emerged of the disgraced NFL player punching his then-fiancée to the floor of an elevator.