A WOMAN enjoying a night out with her partner was hit in the face with a metal crutch as she sat at the bar in a Blackburn pub.

The town’s magistrates heard the force of the blow snapped the crutch in two and the victim was left with a fractured eye socket.

Her assailant also swung the crutch at her partner but he managed to block the blow, which was aimed at his head, with his arm.

James Smith, 58, of Albion Street, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to assaulting Lauren Stockman causing her actual bodily harm and assaulting Andrew Smith.

He was sent on bail to be sentenced at Preston Crown Court on May 9 after the magistrates ruled their powers were insufficient.

Catherine Allan, prosecuting, said Miss Stockman and Mr Smith were sitting at the bar in the Fernhurst pub when they were approached by a drunken female.

She asked what they were looking at and threatened to hit Miss Stockman.

“Miss Stockman told her they were just there for a quiet drink and asked her to leave them alone and turned her back,” said Miss Allan.

“She suddenly felt her head bang and put her hand up to feel blood coming from a wound.

“She felt immediate pain in the cheek and eye area. She saw half a metal crutch on the floor and realised that was what she had been struck with.”

Miss Allan said the victim was taken to hospital with concussion and an X-ray revealed a possible fracture of the eye socket.

Victim Mr Smith told police he saw Smith hit his partner with the crutch which snapped because of the force of the blow to her face.

“We were both sat on our bar stools the whole time and did not show any aggression,” he said.

At the time of the attack, police released a CCTV picture of Smith and arrested him soon after a ‘massive response’.

Damien Pickup, defending, said his client apologised for his “deplorable” behaviour.

“He acknowledges that the victim suffered a nasty injury and he is remorseful,” said Mr Pickup.

He said Smith had only a hazy recollection of the incident. “He has health problems and takes a significant amount of medication,” said Mr Pickup.

“When he mixes drink and medication he sometimes can’t remember things.”