A COLLEGE student who blinded a fellow student in one eye with a pool cue has been cleared of intending to cause him serious harm.

Adam Winter, of Lime Walk, Headington, broke down and loudly sobbed in the dock at Oxford Crown Court as the jury found him not guilty after four hours and 59 minutes of deliberations yesterday.

The 25-year old had already admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm after he struck Zafran Sultan with a pool cue at the Ruskin College common room on June 18 2016, but denied intending serious harm.

Mr Sultan has since the lost of the use of his left eye after the attack.

Jailing him for the lesser charge Judge Nigel Daly said that 'there had been provocation' for the attack but accepted that Winter had not meant to cause the serious harm he had inflicted.

He said: "This can properly be described as a one-off and out of character and I am prepared to accept there was provocation.

"However the pool cue did cause what is a serious injury.

"[Mr Sultan] was making a nuisance of himself. I accept his behaviour was not acceptable, he wound you up by his behaviour.

"But you struck [the pool cue] and as a result of that he lost an eye and there is no getting around that, it is an extremely serious injury."

In mitigation, Emma Scott said that her client had shown a great deal of remorse immediately after the incident and was determined to become a 'valued and constructive' member of society upon his release.

Winter was jailed for two years for the single offence of inflicting grievous bodily harm.