AN East Lancashire man who assaulted a drowned party-goer on the day he went missing has been punished by the courts.

Steven Dyson, 22, went missing after he was attacked at a New Year's Eve house party in Ramsbottom.

His body was found in the River Irwell at Summerseat, six days later, after an extensive search by his family and friends.

Police later charged another 22-year-old, Daniel Conway, over the party atttack.

He had been due to stand trial before Manchester magistrates, accused of assaulting occasioning actual bodily harm.

But Conway, formerly of South Street, Bacup, but now of Fir Street, Ramsbottom, made a further appearance before the same court and pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of common assault.

Magistrates sentenced him to a 240-hour community service order, with 15 days of rehabilitation activities, supervised by the probation service.

Conway must also pay £150 court costs and an £85 victim surcharges.

Mr Dyson, who worked at House of Fraser in Manchester, was reported missing by his mother, Lorraine Roach, on New Year’s Day after he did not arrive back at his home in Beechwood Avenue, Ramsbottom.

He had last been seen running away from the party at 9am.

An inquest into his death heard that as a taxi arrived to pick him up, he got into an altercation with another man where he was punched. He sustained facial injuries and was seen to be bleeding from the nose.

He was seen running away from the house looking 'extremely scared' before falling to the floor.

He then stood up and ran up St Andrew's Close towards Nuttall Lane, the hearing was told.

The route by the river, believed to have been take by Steven was described as "very precarious".

In the days that followed, members of the public formed organised search parties in a bid to assist police, before a body was eventually found in the river the following Saturday.

Recording an open conclusion, coroner Joanne Kearsley said it was not possible to rule out Steven may have been suffering from mild concussion after being punched prior to his death, and it may have influenced his thought process and actions.