A MIDDLE-aged man punched his housemate, leaving him needing three stitches in a row over a game of darts.

Burnley Magistrates’ Court heard how James Stead, 53, also broke the front window at the home he then shared with close friend Graham Matthews, in Earby, by hurling a teacup at it and causing £200 worth of damage.

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The sudden violence brought the pair's long friendship to an end.

Stead, who has since lived in a bail hostel on Borough Avenue, Radcliffe, had denied assault causing actual bodily harm and damage on May 19, but had been convicted after a recent trial.

He was given a two-year conditional discharge and must pay £300 compensation. District Judge James Clarke, who said he accepted the attack wasn't premeditated, also imposed a restraining order, banning the defendant from contacting the victim.