A MAN who was knocked unconscious as he walked home from the mosque was a victim in an ongoing inter-family feud.

Blackburn magistrates heard that as well as the case before them members of both families were before the Crown Court for offences of violence on the streets of Burnley.

Muhammad Hanzala Hussain, 20, of Burns Street, Burnley, pleaded guilty to assaulting Mohammed Ali causing him actual bodily harm. He was ordered to pay £100 compensation and made subject to community order for 12 months with 10 days rehabilitation and a curfew for 12 weeks between 9pm and 6am.

Passing sentence, the chairman of the magistrates said they were concerned there was an ongoing feud between families.

“It is not the kind of thing we would want to see on the streets of Burnley, Blackburn, Accrington or anywhere else for that matter,” he said.

“On this occasion we have stepped back from sending you to prison which we could easily have done.”

Catherine Allan, prosecuting, said there was an ongoing feud between two families before and after the incident on August 26.

She said on that day Mr Ali was walking home from mosque when he was approached by Hussain.

Hussain made threats to “break his bones” and “kill” Mr Ali who told him to go away and tried to walk off.

“He turned to face him and was punched in the face,” said Miss Allan. “The victim didn’t remember anything else until a neighbour helped to lift him off the floor and helped him home.

“It was a single punch with sufficient force to knock him unconscious and he was lying there for 15 seconds before he was helped,” said Miss Allan.

Dylan Bradshaw, defending, said his client now realised how “incredibly dangerous” it was to punch someone on the street where people often fall and suffer head injuries.

He said the aggrieved was one of 10 brothers and the family feud started after they accused the defendant of burgling one of their houses.

“He was taken by force to one of their houses and told if he admitted the burglary there would be no further consequences,” said Mr Bradshaw.

“He refused and he was injured. This set in place a series of tit-for-tat offences and there are currently two separate cases before the Crown Court as a result of these two families feuding.”

Mr Bradshaw said his client was adamant on this occasion “unkind and unpleasant" things had been said to him about his sister.

“I have told him he needs to find alternative ways of dealing with provocation,” said Mr Bradshaw.

“We are all very familiar with the one-punch manslaughter cases and it is just good luck sometimes that isn’t the case.”