BBC presenter sacked after wounding conviction

A BBC presenter who hit a teenager in the face with a wooden pole has been sacked, the corporation said today.

Midlands Today reporter Ashley Blake was convicted of unlawful wounding at Birmingham Crown Court last week.

The court heard he swung a patio umbrella pole above his head, striking 17-year-old Greg Jones in the face. The teenager suffered injuries to his lip and his chin.

The incident happened at an 18th birthday party in January, at the pub Blake then owned, The Place 2B in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham.

The 40-year-old was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice by throwing the pole into a neighbouring garden centre in an attempt to conceal it from police.

Judge Peter Carr warned Blake, who worked on the Inside Out current affairs show, that a jail sentence was "almost inevitable".

Speaking after the verdict, the presenter said he was "gutted", adding: "It's all over, isn't it? My job - everything."

A BBC spokesman said tonight: "Ashley Blake was found guilty last week of two serious charges.

"An internal process has resulted in Ashley's dismissal which is effective immediately."

Blake was remanded on bail to be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on September 2.