A thug assaulted an old school colleague in a racist attack in a nightclub toilet, a court heard.
James Coole, of Duke Street, Oswaldtwistle, struck the back of the head of a man head in the toilets of Bailey’s Bar in Accrington seven years after they were at school together.
Coole then verbally abused him and called him a racist name before being pulled away by friends on April 1 last year, a judge heard.
Coole, 23, who had drunk 15 vodka mixers on the night, pleaded guilty to racially aggravated assault at Burnley Crown Court. Mark Savill, prosecuting, said the victim had gone into the toilets and ‘felt a thud’ to his head and turned round to see an ‘aggressive’ Coole with his fists raised.
The court heard how friends tried to stop the incident before Coole said: “Why are you standing up for this P***?
“Come on then you P***. You used to be cocky at school.”
The victim suffered a displaced fractured knuckle and needed surgery and had to take time off work.
The court was told how he later tried to send Coole a Facebook message.
Referring to the incident, a friend of Coole’s replied: “I feel bad, think they are being racist me. I’m not like that, we are not like that”, the court heard.
David Ryan, defending, said Coole apoloigises for his ‘foolish actions’.
Sentencing, Judge Simon Newell said: “Whatever happened at school should’ve stayed at school.It was a cowardly assault from behind."
Coole was given a 12-month community order with a six-month supervision requirement, ordered to carry out 140 hours unpaid work and pay compensation of £750 and costs of £250.
