A SOLICITOR acting in self defence used his boxing skills to fell a former Haslingden councillor with a two-punch combination, a court heard.

And Noel O’Brien, 57, was left on his backside on the courthouse steps, a court heard.

Ex-politician O’Brien, had been told off by security staff for using his mobile phone inside the Burnley Magistrates’ Court’s precincts when lawyer David Leach tried to intervene to calm the situation down, a trial at Preston heard.

Without warning O’Brien swung a punch at Mr Leach, yards from the courthouse, said prosecutor Suzie Privett.

But Mr Leach, described as a former welterweight boxer, reacted with a two-punch combination, in self-defence, leaving the former Haslingden councillor on the floor, the court heard.

O’Brien, of Mercer Crescent, Helmshore, denied assaulting Mr Leach on September 1 but was convicted by district judge John McGara after a trial.

He was jailed for 14 days - but as he had spent 25 days on remand for the offence he walked free from court.

The judge also ordered him to pay £50 compensation to Mr Leach, who said he would donate the money to charity.

The conviction is the third for violence regarding O’Brien in a fortnight - already this week he has been found guilty of attacking court process server Steven Baldwin.

O’Brien swatted him around the heard with papers for a court injunction which Mr Baldwin was trying to serve on behalf of Rossendale council.

And the week before he was found guilty of assaulting traffic warden Jason McCourt, who had given him a parking ticket outside Rawtenstall police station.

The judge said that O’Brien was a “volatile” man who was often aggresive while making his views known and could using insulting behaviour.

He rejected claims by O’Brien that Mr Leach had verbally abused him.

Eyewitness Ben Leech, also a solicitor, said that when he saw the incident, Mr Leach had his arms raised in a concilatory gesture.

Then O’Brien had punched him before Mr Leach retaliated. It appeared that the older man was the aggressor, the court heard.

O’Brien has been ejected from Rossendale Council meetings and was escorted by police from the borough’s local election count at Bacup Leisure Hall earlier this year.

Rossendale Council is seeking to enforce an injunction preventing him from attending at the authority’s offices or council meetings in future.