A MAN has pleaded guilty to assaulting a child by grabbing his T-shirt and 'ragging him about' while drunk .

Burnley Crown Court heard 28-year-old Liam Andrew Fishwick assaulted the child, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, in Hyndburn.

Prosecuting, Stephen Parker said that in his achieving best evidence interview with police, the victim said: "He grabbed me. I banged my head on the table. I must have hit my arm. He strangled me."

Mr Parker continued: "The defendant accepts the injuries shown on the photographs are caused by him. He grabbed the child's T-shirt and 'ragged him about'."

Fishwick, of Monarch Street, Oswaldtwistle, pleaded guilty to an offence which incorporated the assault.

Defending, Jessica Heggie said her client accepted he had caused the child injury but the offence was closer to a common assault than assault by beating. She said her client also denied ever strangling the child.

Ms Heggie said: "There is a basis of plea which indicated exactly what the defendant accepts. He doesn't accepts an assault by beating took place but he does accept there is some injury caused to the child at his hands.

"My application is for a pre-sentence report in this matter."

Judge Philip Parry adjourned the case for the preparation of a pre-sentence report. Fishwick was given conditional bail to be sentenced at the same court on October 9.

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Judge Parry said: "You don't accept you strangled the child but you accept everything else he says.

"I am not going to pass sentence on you today. You will be sentenced on October 9. I will not be sentencing you on that occasion. I will order the probation service to prepare a pre-sentence report on you."