A SAINSBURYS worker who attacked a colleague with a metal bar after he had called him "a queer," has been jailed for 12 months.

Burnley Crown Court heard how Ahmed Hajee's victim Stephen Vernon was struck at least 11 times with the three-foot bar which the defendant had been using on a baling machine at the company's Darwen branch. It bent with the force of the blows during the onslaught.

Sentencing Hajee, 21, now working for Asda, Judge David Pirie said no course other than custody could be justified for the offence.

The judge said although Mr Vernon had to a degree provoked Hajee he had "belaboured," him about the head and body with the rod. Hajee, of Dickens Street, Blackburn, had earlier admitted unlawful wounding.

Arthur Stuttard, prosecuting, said the defendant and Mr Vernon were seen facing up to each other. Mr Vernon, who said there had been good humoured banter between the two of them, did not think anything was wrong.

Without warning or provocation, Hajee attacked Mr Vernon with the metal bar, part of the equipment in the warehouse. The complainant crouched down to protect himself and was hit several times over the head, back and arm. Mr Stuttard said his injuries included a three-centimetre laceration to the top of his head.

Hajee had no previous convictions and John Woodward, defending, said his client was of exemplary character and remorseful for what happened.

He had 'flipped' after being severely provoked by Mr Vernon who may have thought his comments were light-hearted banter but they were more serious as far as the defendant was concerned.

The comments rekindled an awful lot of unhappiness Hajee felt when he had been bullied at school and when he had lost a full year because of it..

Mr Woodward said Hajee thought on this particular day he was going to stand up for himself.

He had been using the bar on a baling machine when Mr Vernon said he was a queer and rubbed his nose against the defendant's face.