A WOMAN suffered a ‘nasty’ gash and needed stitches just above her eye after she was hit by a flying bottle in a Rawtenstall bar, a court heard.

Kirsty Jay ended up slumped over a table and covered in blood after Dean Kelly ‘gratuitously and casually’ threw away the bottle he had been drinking out of at Barbarellas, last September 7.

Burnley Crown Court was told Ms Jay still has a noticeable scar, has not been to pubs or clubs since the incident and is very nervous around people who are drinking.

Kelly, 22, has never been in trouble before, has a ‘good job’ and was said by a judge to have an ‘exemplary’ record for a young man.

The defendant, of Hunters Drive, Burnley, admitted wounding. He was given six months in jail, suspended for a year and must pay £1,500 compensation and £500 costs.

Lisa Worsley, prosecuting, said the victim had been with her friends in the bar. The defendant had been with a group, they had drunk beer and vodka and also ended up at Barbarellas.

About 11.10pm, the victim felt immediate pain above her eye, heard smashing and blood began to stream down her face. The defendant had thrown a bottle from the opposite side of the bar. Police were called and he was arrested after a staff member stopped him running from the premises.

Daniel King, defending, said the incident was completely out of character.

He added: “It’s frightening to him that his recollection of this incident is very limited because of his consumption of alcohol. The consequences were dreadful.”

Judge Andrew Woolman told Kelly it was sad to see him in the dock.

He said: “People clearly think very highly of you and it’s only the alcohol which you drank that night which led you to behave in an entirely out of character way.”