A MAN who knocked out a neighbour in a one-punch attack following a dispute over parking will have to wait to learn his fate, with a judge warning him that custody is “very much a real possibility”.

Burnley Crown Court heard how victim Shahed Mahmood was left unconscious on the pavement after falling awkwardly following the blow administered by Mohammed Shazad Akram in Blackburn Road, Accrington, at around 5.30pm on on March 6, last year.

One neighbour, who lived two doors down, described being able to hear the sound of a skull cracking on the pavement.

Prosecuting, Alison Mather told the court how Mr Mahmood’s sister Rosie Akhtar, a trained acute medical nurse who now works as a specialist Macmillan nurse, returned from work to find her brother motionless on the pavement in a pool of blood and had to administer CPR.

In a victim personal statement she told the court how nothing could ever prepare her for having to give her own brother CPR or the heartache of having to tell her nephew he might never see his dad again.

After being taken to Royal Preston Hospital Mr Mahmood had to be put on a life support machine, suffering a traumatic brain haemorrhage and multiple skull fractures. Surgeons later had to remove parts of his skull to reduce swelling on the brain.

Mr Mahmood, who runs Home Run takeaway, Blackburn Road, Accrington, also developed pneumonia while in hospital.

Mr Mahmood,who was the president of the Hyndburn Chamber of Trade at the time of the attack who was also standing for council in the Immanuel ward of Oswaldwistle, has since been discharged but will have to be readmitted for a cranial procedure to cover up the skull with a metal plate.

Ms Mather said Mr Mahmood, 49, now suffers from fatigue, meaning he has to go to bed for three hours at 11am and can only do 90 minutes of work per day. He always suffers from four headaches per day, struggles concentrating, is not allowed to drive and is still on anti-epilepsy medication.

Mr Mahmood has no recollection of the build-up to the attack or how and why it happened.

Akram, 27, of Union Road, Oswaldtwistle pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm on the basis that Mr Mahmood came to his house to complain to him about a parking issue. Akram stated that as he ushered Mr Mahmood away the complainant made an upsetting and hurtful comment about his deceased brother. The defendant said the two men were standing very close together and he believed he saw Mr Mahmood start to raise his arm. It was at that point Akram said he punched Mr Mahmood once.

Defending, Simeon Evans said his client was mortified by his actions, which were out of character.

He added: “He comes across as, apart from this incident, a very decent and hardworking young man. A young man who is very well thought of by his employers, and his colleagues and by members of the community. I might be right in saying this seems to have been an incident between two thoroughly decent men with such an appalling and shocking result for the victim.”

Judge Sara Dodd adjourned the case until Monday.

Judge Dodd said: “The fact you are having your bail and the fact I am taking a while deliberating should not be seen as an indication of what your sentence will be. Custody is very much a real possibility.”