Jail for man who hit girl, 13, over the head with a bottle after store clash

John William Patrick, 26, was angry following an exchange of abuse with others in the 13-year-old's group first inside Tesco Supermarket at Seacroft, Leeds, and later outside.

He had drunk six pints that afternoon before going shopping with his mother and had dropped a 20 note which he believed the youths had picked up.

Simon Alexander, representing Patrick, said he was taunted by some of the youths about the money and accepted he and his mother had shouted at them when they got outside and received abuse in exchange.

The girl was in the group but had played no part in the exchanges, Richard Walters, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court yesterday.

Patrick suddenly grabbed a bottle of Malibu from his mother's shopping and ran over to the group, pushing the girl against a wall after grabbing her by the throat.

He then struck her on the back of her head with it saying: "You little slag". The bottle did not break but when security staff who had witnessed the attack went to detain him it smashed on the ground.

The girl was bleeding from a cut to her head. When Patrick was arrested after the police were contacted he said he had picked her because she was the nearest to him.

Patrick, of Easdale Crescent, Leeds, admitted assaulting the girl and possessing the bottle as an offensive weapon on December 11 last year.

Judge Sally Cahill QC said it was "an extremely unpleasant event" committed after he went to a supermarket having clearly had "far too much to drink".

His victim had played no part in his earlier altercation with other youths other than to be present at the scene but he had chosen to strike her with a bottle.

She told him custody was appropriate for serious offences involving an assault on a child much smaller than him.

Mr Alexander said the offence was committed under the influence of drink but the loss of 20, which was a substantial part of his weekly budget, had upset him.

When the incident continued outside he had picked the bottle up in anger. A jail term would cause considerable problems as he looked after both his partner and his mother who would suffer without him.