A PROLIFIC offender who “savagely” attacked a man at a drink and drugs help centre has been locked up for a total of 94 weeks.

Ex-heroin addict Paul Dwyer, 35, set about Keith Cavanagh at Inspire because he claimed the victim owed him cash.

The defendant was arrested and had told police: “No worries. I need a bit of jail time to get my head together,” Burnley Crown Court was told.

Dwyer, who has committed almost 150 offences dating back to 1993, had admitted assault causing actual bodily harm and had been committed for sentence by magistrates.

He had been the subject of a suspended jail term.

Dwyer, who had hit the victim repeatedly with a walking stick, left him with a cut to the back of his head and pain in his head and back.

Mr Cavanagh had gone to Inspire with his partner and had seen Dwyer, of Lower School, Street, Colne, on the other side of the room.

The two men, who had known each other for 20 years, had fallen out last winter over the tenancy of the defendant's house while he had been in jail.Mr Cavanagh claimed he went over to try and patch things up.

Dwyer was abusive and the victim returned to his partner.

The defendant shouted a threat over to him and then walked up to him and struck him repeatedly with the stick.

Mr Cavanagh went to the floor unconscious and Dwyer kicked him in the head.

Richard Taylor, for Dwyer, said Mr Cavanagh had moved into his house while he was in custody, he had thought he was looking after it and he found he had no home to come out to and he owed £1,750.

The solicitor added: “He fully accepts he completely over-reacted and I think he may have said in interview he flipped.”

Judge Graham Knowles QC, who activated the sspended sentence, said the attack had been outrageous and savage.

He said Dwyer had been jailed for affray in January and last November received a suspended term for having a bladed article in a public place.