A 28-YEAR-OLD man hit his stepdad in the face with a flower vase because he would not give him money to pay off a drug debt, a court was told.

Blackburn magistrates heard Iain Michael Nightingale completely lost control during the incident which came after he had taken medication prescribed to someone else to try and kill the pain of heroin withdrawal.

Nightingale, of Bolton Road, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to assaulting Colin Waring, causing him actual bodily harm, and affray.

He was committed on bail to Preston Crown Court for sentence after the magistrates ruled their powers of punishment were not sufficient.

Pat Bramley, prosecuting, said Nightingale arrived at his mother's house at about 5 pm saying he wanted money. Mr Waring refused to give him any and Nightingale suddenly lunged forward, punched him to the floor and then fell on him.

Basharat Ditta, defending, said his client had no previous convictions for violence but had a long-standing drug difficulty.