A MAN who lured a near neighbour to his house on the pretext of offering him work and then viciously assaulted him has been convicted by a jury.

Robert Houghton, aged 31, of Whitehead Crescent, Brandlesholme, Bury, was jailed for three years for causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Simon Coombes.

A second man, Sean Tierney aged 23, also of Whitehead Crescent, was convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm on Coombes and will be sentenced after a pre-sentence report has been prepared.

Both men had denied the offences at Bolton Crown Court.

Coombes, known locally as an odd job man, had been lured to Houghton's house on the pretext of fixing something.

But when he got there he was set upon by a group of men and held down while Tierney beat him with an iron bar.

Coombes, who suffered multiple bruising and a broken arm during the attack, had earlier denied that the men who came to his door minutes before the assault wanted to buy cannabis from him.

Coombes had also denied that he had exaggerated the attack so that he could make a claim for compensation for his injuries.

Following the unconnected death of the third defendant and the judge ordering a formal not guilty verdict against the fourth accused, Brian Fletcher, the jury heard the case against the two remaining men, Houghton and Tierney.

Tierney claimed that he hit Coombes just once with the bar and only because Houghton told him to. He thought he would be hit if he refused.

The court earlier heard that Coombes was lured to Houghton's house and then held down while he was beaten senseless with the bar, suffering a fractured arm.

The attack took place after Coombes had allegedly described one of his attackers as "queer".

Coombes said he still did not know the reason behind the attack and denied that he had a grudge against Tierney.