A BARE-chested man who had been involved in trouble outside a pub threw a cobble stone at a police officer as she and her colleagues were looking for him.

Blackburn magistrates heard the officer managed to avoid being hit by the stone which could have caused her serious injury.

Jason Mark McKenzie, 35, of Wheatley Close, Fence, pleaded guilty to assaulting an emergency worker, PC Lucy Garnett, acting in the execution of her duty. He was made subject to a community order for 12 months with 20 days rehabilitation activity requirement and ordered to pay £50 compensation to the officer.

Scott Parker, prosecuting, said while there was no physical contact the stone had been thrown with the intention of hitting the officer. He said officers attended The Lounge on Gisburn Road, Barrowford, at 1.22am following a report of men fighting.

PC Garnett saw McKenzie on Church Street. He was bare-chested and creeping along behind a picket fence in her direction.

"She could see him under the street lights and realised he had something in his hand," said Mr Parker.

"He took aim and threw the stone at her but luckily she realised what was happening and jumped out of the way."

Mr Parker said the cobble was about the size of a bag of sugar and could have caused the officer serious injury if it had struck her.

"Despite the fact it didn't make contact it was clearly a very dangerous thing to do," said Mr Parker.

"When he was arrested he resisted and called PC Garnett a blonde slag and said he hoped all the officers' children got cancer."

Geoff Ireland, defending,said his client was genuinely remorseful for what had happened. He said McKenzie had been drinking with his brother and they fell out and were ejected.

"The violence spilled out onto the street and he and his brother both suffered injuries at the hands of the bouncers," said Mr Ireland.

"He says he genuinely believed the people approaching him were the bouncers and when he threw the stone he didn't realise he was throwing it at a police officer."