A MAN who knocked a woman unconscious by throwing a bottle of spirits at her head has been jailed for 12 months.

Cameron Rice, 21, of Coniston Road, Stretford pleaded guilty to unlawfully wounding Dominique Kay in the early hours of Sunday February 4.

Mrs Kay had been on a night out in Bolton town centre, when somebody gave her a small bottle of spirits.

She took the bottle out with her when she went for a cigarette near the Food Factory takeaway on Bradshawgate.

While she was outside, she was asking people for filters for her cigarette and offering her drink to people.

Rice approached her, grabbed the bottle and said: "I'm having that off you". After a struggle, Mrs Kay eventually let go and walked away.

Rice and his friend then followed her, before Rice kicked her in the leg and walked off.

Before long, Rice turned back around and threw the bottle at Mrs Kay's head, felling her and knocking her temporarily unconscious.

She was taken to hospital and given one stitch to the top of her head, before being released.

A pre-sentencing report described Rice as being a long-term sufferer of learning difficulties and ADHD.

It also said that he occasionally displayed an "out of control abuse of alcohol".

Defence barrister Philip Barnes asked Judge Timothy Stead to consider the fact that Rice had no previous convictions and asked that any custodial sentence be suspended.

Simon Barrett, prosecuting listed aggravating factors including that Rice was drunk and that the attack took place in a public street. He also said the incident had affected Mrs Kay psychologically.

Passing sentence at Bolton Crown Court, Judge Timothy Stead gave credit to Rice's early plea and relatively good character but concluded that the offence was one that would "sicken and frighten" the public.

He said: "In your favour, there's nothing else other than this before or since, and you've accepted what you've done by pleading guilty.

"The incident took place in the centre of this town at night, in a location far too familiar to this court.

"People of this town and people of other towns would be sickened and frightened by violence of this level.

"If this was just a punch up, that's one level but I cannot ignore the fact that you threw a bottle at a woman and left her on the road.

"My very difficult conclusion is that you're imprisoned immediately".

Rice was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment and ordered to pay a victim surcharge.