A Bolton car sales manager has narrowly avoided prison after breaking a colleague’s eye socket following a disagreement about keys.

Stacey Morrow, prosecuting, told Wigan magistrates how, on August 31 last year, Linnell approached 23-year-old Mr Sloane’s desk and asked him if he had the keys to the Bolton Motor Park dealership where they both worked.

Mr Sloane replied that he gave them to someone else two weeks earlier and then followed Linnell to his office to ask him why he thought he would have the keys, with the manager replying, “It’s always you.”

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Linnell became verbally abusive but as Mr Sloane turned to leave the room his manager punched him in the face several times, causing him to fall on the floor where Linnell then knelt on him.

“He described being shocked and dazed, trying to crawl away but the defendant was on top of him,” said Ms Morrow.

Mr Sloane was taken to the Royal Bolton Hospital where doctors diagnosed a fractured eye socket.

Linnell, of Bankside, Parbold, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm.

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Magistrates were told that, three years ago, he was convicted of assaulting another colleague at a different dealership, receiving a conditional discharge for that offence.

For his latest offence, Linnell was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years and was ordered to undertake 100 hours of unpaid work and 25 days of rehabilitation activities as well as paying his victim £300 in compensation.