A DRUNKEN man has been jailed after he punched an off duty Asian bus driver in the face in an unprovoked attack.

Christopher Kirfoot boarded the 571 bus and asked if Haroon Bhola, who was travelling as a passenger, was a Muslim.

When he answered 'yes', Kirfoot replied he hated Muslims and hit him.

Mr Bhola got off the bus, but Kirfoot followed and beat him. He continued the attack when Mr Bhola ran back to the bus.

The driver saw Mr Bhola's distress and pressed the panic button which alerted an inspector.

The defendant, who was drunk, was arrested but denied being involved. He later agreed he had been been involved in an incident.

Unemployed Kirfoot, aged 32, of Hounslow House, Halliwell, admitted a charge of racially aggravated common assault and was jailed for 10 months when he appeared at Bolton Crown Court. He denied he was a racist and said he had Asian friends, one of whom he said had accompanied him to court.

He claimed the violence happened because he was very drunk. He recognised he had an alcohol problem. Judge Clement Goldstone QC told him: "The abuse, both physical and verbal, was cruel and persistent."