AN alcoholic hit his ‘interfering’ mother-in-law on the head with a dumbbell after getting angry over what he claimed were her meddling ways.

Burnley Crown Court heard how Sandra Birtwistle ended up cut and ‘covered in blood’ after the incident at her son-in-law Daniel Burke's house on May 20.

Burke had owned up on the basis he must have caused the injury, but his actions had been reckless rather than intentional.

The hearing was told Burke, 33, had a caution for an assault on his wife, from last April.

The defendant, of St Hubert's Road, Great Harwood, admitted assault causing actual bodily harm. He was sentenced to a 12 month community order, with 12 months' supervision and a six month alcohol treatment requirement.

Stephen Parker, prosecuting, said the victim had been at the defendant's home and she, Burke and his wife had all been drinking.

It was suggested the defendant had gone to bed at some stage, there seemed to be an issue in relation to the children when he got up and Sandra Birtwistle was on the staircase.

The defendant appeared with what transpired to be a dumbbell and told her to get out of the house.

At some point, she must have been hit on the head with it. Blood was coming down, she went downstairs and her daughter saw her mother ‘covered in blood’.

The defendant was then said to have been threatening with the bar.

The prosecutor said when Burke was interviewed, he said they had been to the pub, before going back to his house.

He told officers that in his view, Sandra Birtwistle was interfering in the way they were running their lives, he was fed up of it and he got very angry.

He said he went into the room where he kept his weight lifting equipment and began to unscrew his weights off the weight bar, with the intention of scaring his mother-in-law.

The defendant claimed he swung the bar at the wall in an attempt to frighten her and somehow the victim received the head injury. It had not been deliberate.

Mr Parker said Sandra Birtwistle was treated by ambulance staff and they contacted the police.

Jon Close, for Burke, said: "He's an alcoholic and clearly there is a problem."

The barrister said the defendant had grown up in an environment with a violent, abusive father and his father had died of alcoholism.

Burke and his wife were still together.

Passing sentence, Judge Beverley Lunt told the defendant he had the ‘double problem’ of drink and losing his temper.