A HARTFORD schoolboy has been unable to see properly since his eye socket was fractured in an assault at school, a court heard.

His classmate, a 15-year-old from Knutsford, appeared at Northwich Magistrates' Court yesterday, Tuesday, where he admitted unlawfully and maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm against his 14-year-old victim, who was just 13 at the time of the attack.

The 15-year-old defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was due to stand trial at the court yesterday but changed his plea as proceedings began.

Caroline Harris, prosecuting, said the incident happened at the Hartford school, on February 1, after the victim bumped into one of the defendant's friends on the stairs.

The defendant warned his victim that he was going to assault him twice during the lunch break.

Ms Harris said: "The defendant then struck him, the Crown says, with his fist, to his face.

"Then he went on and struck the complainant with his knee and caused him to fall."

She said that in a statement to his head of year, the 15-year-old admitted striking the victim but said this was with his forearm rather than his fist.

She said a doctor who saw the victim at Leighton hospital on the following day said he had bruising to his right eye, suffered paralysis in one of his eye muscles and double vision.

He was referred to a specialist department at the Countess of Chester Hospital where he had an operation to repair his eye socket.

In a statement written by the victim in June this year, he said he had suffered double vision constantly for two to three months after the attack.

The 15-year-old, defending himself, said: "I know I did it but I know I shouldn't have and didn't mean to cause that much damage."

Don Beckett, chairman of the bench, said: "I would like to commend you for your change of heart this morning."

Magistrates gave him a 12-month referral order and imposed a 12-month parenting order on his father as well as ordering for £2,000 compensation and £200 court costs to be paid.