Man punched friend unconscious and left him in a pool of blood after 'sexual' mum jibe

A man has avoided being sent to prison 'by the skin of his teeth' after he knocked a friend unconscious and left him a pool of his own blood.

James Turner, 49, had been drinking with his parents and Mark Warburton, when Mr Warburton allegedly made 'personal' comments about his mum. Mr Warburton had initially come round to borrow a chisel from Turner, Bolton Crown Court heard.

Prosecution barrister Patrick Williamson said: "The defendant says that during the conversations between the group, that Mr Warburton made some remarks which were extremely personal, I believe of a sexual nature, towards the defendant's mother."

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Turner, who told police that he had drank "five or six cans of Stella" and was feeling "merry", pinned Mr Warburton down and punched him in the face several times. Mr Warburton was knocked out and when he came back around, he was lay on the floor with a pool of blood next to him.

The court heard that Turner then told a family friend that he "didn't care" when they intervened and asked what he had done. Mr Warburton suffered a cut to the back of his head, an orbital fracture, a fracture to the head of his fibula, and was taken to hospital.

Mr Warburton has since recovered following the assault in March 2019 but had to have reconstructive surgery to his face. In a victim personal statement, he said he was in pain for 18 months and still suffers with numbness to the left side of his face, which the sentencing judge Recorder Peter Horgan described as a "permanent reminder" of Turner's assault.

Turner, of Vernon Street, Bolton, has 29 convictions