A teenager who attacked a fellow pupil with a baseball bat has been ordered to pay his victim almost £700 in compensation.

Bradford Crown Court heard Robert Smith, now aged 16, was expelled from the city's Yorkshire Martyrs School following the incident last September.

Prosecutor Mark Rodger said there had been rumours Smith was going to beat up his victim Mark Ryan, also 16, and it was as the youngster was on his way to class that he felt a heavy blow on the back of his head.

As he tried to protect himself the teenager suffered further blows before Smith ran away.

The injured schoolboy was taken to the Bradford Royal Infirmary where he had stitches put in wounds to the left side of his head.

When Smith was questioned he denied using a bat and claimed they had simply had a fight.

The teenager, who had no previous convictions, was originally charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, but the prosecution accepted his guilty plea to a lesser offence of unlawful wounding.

Judge Gerald Coles QC ordered Smith, of Murgatroyd Street, West Bowling, Bradford, to pay his victim £500 compensation for his injuries and a further £190 for his blood-stained clothing.

Smith, who now earns £100-a-week working with his father, was also ordered to perform 120 hours community service.

Passing sentence Judge Coles said baseball bats could maim and kill. He said: "You could have been standing there with a charge of murder over you and I would be saying I'm sorry but there's nothing I can do but send you to prison for life.

"It didn't kill him. That's good fortune for you.''