A TEENAGER has been locked up for chasing a schoolboy into the road where he was struck by a lorry and fractured his skull.
Lee Drake, aged 19, of Lord's Stile Lane, Bromley Cross, chased Leslie McCartney into Blackburn Road, near its junction with Eagley Way in Eagley on June 18, so he could "warn" him not to come into the area again.
Leslie, aged 16, of Radstock Close, Turton, was struck by the lorry and suffered two fractures to his skull and bruising to his lung. Drake ran away from the scene.
At Bolton Crown Court, Judge William Morris ordered that Drake should serve two months in a young offenders institute for inflicting grievous bodily harm.
The court heard that Drake believed Leslie was responsible for some problems he and his friends were experiencing at the time.
Mark Monaghan, prosecuting, said: "The defendant wanted to warn the victim not to come to the area again. He wanted to catch him and warn him off - it was an intimidating action.
"The young man ran round behind the bus and into the road into the path of a waggon."
The judge accepted that Drake did not intend for Leslie to be knocked down and that he had left the scene because he had been so appalled by what had happened. Leslie has since made a full recovery.
Dominic Alexander, defending, said at the time of the incident Drake was involved with a gang which he has since left.
Drake had since been beaten up and suffered a broken jaw in "revenge" for the incident, although there was no suggestion that Leslie was behind the attack.
Drake was also sentenced to a further four months for assault occasioning actual bodily harm after he punched a man twice in the face in Ikon nightclub in July 2003 while he was on bail. They had bumped into each other on the dance floor.
Drake approached Steven Hobin and punched him in the face so hard it broke one of his teeth. Mr Alexander said Drake had over-reacted because he was "stressed" about what had happened to Leslie. Jailing Drake for a total of six months, Judge Morris said: "You will soon be released from custody and then I hope you will go on to lead a decent life."
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