Practitioner sentenced

A Lancashire man described as an optician was given six months in prison, suspended for a year after he was convicted of attacking a neighbour in a road rage incident.

During the trial at Burnley Crown Court, it was also revealed that Sanjid Patel of Blackburn was visiting 'vulnerable, housebound people' without a check on his criminal past. Self-employed Patel, 32, who has nine previous convictions for violence, drugs and dishonesty, has been working for Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, which said he provided a valuable service for those who would otherwise not get optical care. But checks with the Criminal Records Bureau were said to have not been necessary because Patel is not employed by anybody, the court was told.