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A grinning thug has walked free from court despite admitting battering a traffic warden over the head with a hammer.

Arafat Akhtar, 26, hit defenseless David Truman with the weapon after being handed a ticket for parking on double yellow lines.

The motorist then sped away from the scene in Birmingham but later contacted cops.

Birmingham Crown Court heard Mr Truman had to take five days off work as a result of the attack which left him "shocked and scared".

Akhtar previously admitted assault and having an offensive weapon but escaped jail by being handed a nine month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

He was also ordered to complete 100 hours unpaid work and £200 compensation.

As he left the court he grinned at photographers.

Rhydian James, prosecuting, said Mr Truman had seen a red hatch-back parked on double yellow lines on the afternoon of December 17 last year.

As the traffic warden began to log the vehicle’s details on his hand-held computer, he was challenged by Akhtar who was in the driving seat.

The defendant then got out of the car and there was a “verbal altercation” before Akhtar raced into a nearby phone shop and emerged carrying the hammer.

(Image: Birmingham Mail)

“The defendant ran back towards the enforcement officer and Mr Truman tried to radio for assistance,’’ said Mr James.

“Before he could do that the defendant walked straight up to him and hit the radio out of his hand. It was at that point that Mr Truman could see the defendant had a hammer in his right hand.”

Mr James said Akhtar knocked the victim’s glasses off before striking a blow to the left side of his head with the weapon, causing a wound, before driving off.

Later that day car audio installer Akhtar voluntarily went to Thornhill Road police station where he claimed he had been assaulted by the traffic warden.

Richard Franck, defending, said previous attacks on his client had caused him to react in inappropriate ways.

Judge Simon Drew QC, told Akhtar: “You parked on the double yellow lines. That was your choice. You knew that you should not have been parked there.

“When the unfortunate traffic warden came along and took details of your vehicle you lost your temper.”

He said during a confrontation the warden may have threatened by Akhtar and had put his hand up to protect himself, a gesture which the defendant had misunderstood.

“But what happened next was an extreme over reaction. Totally unjustifiable.”

However, he accepted that because Akhtar had been the victim of two previous assaults he had been “particularly vulnerable.”