A WATER polo player is facing a possible jail term after seriously injuring an opponent and putting him in hospital.
"Angry" Christopher Brooks, 37, strode across the shallow end of Gannow Baths, Burnley, and "whacked" rival Burnley player John Williamson in the face during a Northern County League match, the town's Crown Court heard.
Brooks, a member of the visiting Radcliffe team, left Mr Williamson, an electrician, fearing for his sight after the attack last November.
Mr Williamson was at first thought to have been permanently half-blinded.
He was in hospital a week, now has a constantly dilated pupil and may develop glaucoma.
Father-of-one Brooks, of Camden Close, Ainsworth, near Bury, was found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm, after a four-day trial.
The defendant, who has played water polo for 25 years, was bailed until December 16 for a pre-sentence report by Judge Beverley Lunt, who warned him prison was a possibility. Brooks had denied the charge and claimed self defence.
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