A MAN who killed a father out celebrating his teenage daughter's pregnancy was today jailed for life.

Ansar Haq, 22, of Portland Street, Accrington, hit Stephen Dewhurst with such ferocity that he collapsed and hit his head on the pavement near his home in Ripon Street, Blackburn.

The attack left the 49-year-old with serious head injuries and he died more than four months later in Blackburn Royal Infirmary.

Haq, who has previous convictions for GBH and robbery, pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

He was given life under government legislation allowing automatic life sentences for people convicted of three offences of violence.

Jailing Haq at Preston Crown Court, Judge Peter Openshaw told him "that he posed a serious risk to the public and that he had a bad record for violent crime."

But he said the attack was not racially motivated.

The assault which killed Mr Dewhurst happened only two months after Haq had been released early from a three-and-a-half year sentence for an attack on a man in Accrington which left the victim with brain damage. He had also earlier been jailed for nine months for a robbery on a college student.

Mr Richard Haworth, prosecuting, said Mr Dewhurst had been walking home from Audley WMC on August 24 last year. He had been out celebrating his 17-year-old daughter Natalie's pregnancy.

As he arrived near his home an altercation took place with Mr Haq, who then walked up to Mr Dewhurst and hit him once on the jaw, knocking him unconscious.

Haq fled the area but was arrested just over a week later in the West Midlands.

Tony Cross, defending, said Haq had shown remorse for both his victim and for his actions.

Judge Peter Openshaw said: "You took out your rage on Mr Dewhurst and what followed was an attack without provocation on a harmless man. The public look to the courts for protection against such attacks."

Stephen Dewhurst's daughter Angela, 26, said: "The courts have shown us justice but that can never bring my dad back."