A SERIAL offender knocked a man unconscious after hitting him over the head with a beer bottle in a dispute over money.

Barry Rankine, already in prison for a shoplifting spree, was given an extra year in jail for the brutal assault in a Dunfermline lane.

Rankine, 30, a prisoner at Low Moss, appeared in the dock at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

He admitted that on April 1 at Inglis Lane, Dunfermline, he assaulted a man by striking him on the head with a glass bottle, causing him to fall to the ground, repeatedly punched him on the head when he was on the ground, rendering him unconscious, all to his injury.

Depute fiscal Alex Kirk told the court that at 6pm the victim was with others and went to a Co-op store to buy alcohol.

As he walked back to his friend’s house, “he became aware of the accused running towards him, swinging his arm”, said the depute.

“He felt a sudden pain in his forehead as he was struck with a green beer bottle

“He was then repeatedly punched on the head and lost consciousness.”

Rankine ran away and left his victim on the ground and covered in blood.

The police were contacted and at around 10pm Rankine was stopped by officers in Pilmuir Street.

The victim was taken to hospital with a suspected broken jaw but tests showed there was no fracture.

However, he sustained significant swelling to his eyes and had a lump on his head.

Defence solicitor Roshni Joshi said: “He advises me there had been a dispute about money with the complainer. He has long-standing difficulty with drugs misuse.

"He has a record of crimes of dishonesty but no previous convictions for violence.

“He accepts that it’s only through good fortune that the injuries were not more significant.”

Sheriff Charles MacNair said: “This was a sustained assault involving a weapon, namely a glass bottle, and the injuries could have been far more severe.”

He jailed Rankine for 12 months to run consecutively to his current prison sentence.

On April 24, Rankine was jailed for consecutive terms of 10 months and 135 days at Dunfermline Sheriff Court for a catalogue of shoplifting offences.