A community councillor has been found guilty of racially abusing a parking warden during a dispute over a parking ticket.

Ilyas Khan, 40, of Megna Way, Bradford, who was elected to Trident Community Council last year, was found guilty of racially-aggravated assault, common assault and using threatening behaviour, when he appeared before magistrates in the city yesterday.

At a previous hearing, magistrates were told Khan, who had pleaded not guilty to the charges, had become angry when Bradford Council civil enforcement officer David Bernard had issued a £70 fixed penalty notice to his car, which was parked on double yellow lines in Clipstone Street, West Bowling in February.

Solicitor Clare Benson, representing Bradford Council, said Mr Bernard had believed the vehicle was parked illegally as a blue disabled badge for Khan’s mother was not displayed correctly.

Khan had appeared out of Woodroyd Medical Centre and began swearing at the enforcement officer, who was of African-Caribbean descent, the court had heard.

Giving evidence, Mr Bernard had told the court Khan had disputed the ticket and had argued the badge was in order.

He had become threatening and pushed Mr Bernard before shouting racist abuse as he left in the vehicle.

Javid Arshad, for Khan, had said his client was himself racially and verbally abused by three parking officers.

Khan had told magistrates the enforcement officers were sniggering and acting like school children and Mr Bernard had said he would fight him if he was not in his uniform.

Announcing the magistrates’ verdict Bench chairman Hugh Simpson said: “While we accept that the defendant’s witness evidence was given in good faith, we had two contradictory and conflicting versions of these events to consider and it is the bench’s unanimous view that the evidence of Mr Bernard and the traffic wardens was the most consistent.”

Speaking to Khan he said: “Your evidence was sometimes given in an aggressive fashion which reinforced this view.”

Mr Simpson asked the Probation Service to prepare a full pre-sentence report to consider a community punishment of a medium level.

Khan is due to be sentenced on Friday, October 22.