A SPURNED lover reversed a people carrier into his ex-girlfriend's car and nudged it repeatedly as she tried to drive to her parents, a court has heard.

Paul Hammond, 35, was distraught at the break up of a 14-year relationship when he got behind the wheel of the vehicle without a licence and tailgated Karen Farr, nudging her Renault 5 before overtaking and reversing into it, prosecutor Claire Marlowe told Swindon Crown Court.

The father-of-three, of Petersfield Road, Park South, who admitted dangerous driving, having no insurance and damaging Miss Farr's car, was ordered to do a total of 200 hours community punishment.

His ex-girlfriend had arrived at his home on June 8 to collect their two oldest children, but agreed to stay for dinner. During the meal he was drinking and began to talk about committing suicide, saying it was her fault.

She decided to go so she put the children in the back seat of her car but she ended up driving around the block because Hammond had got into a people carrier and was driving nose to tail behind her, said Miss Marlowe.

Having taken the children back to the house and put them to bed she left again, but not before the defendant had scratched the paintwork of her car.

As she drove to her father's house he followed bumper to bumper, overtook and reversed into her on two occasions and blocked her route into Blackstone Avenue.

Then he got out and started punching her car as she tried to reverse. Eventually, she was able to get to her father's house and alert the police.

Andrew Hobson, defending, said the break-up of the relationship had been a shock to Hammond. He had thought they were happy but, out of the blue, his partner had said she was going to leave him.

On the day of the offences he thought they might get back together, but he stressed Hammond was not seeking to use it as an excuse for his behaviour.

In mitigation, he said although the driving was aggressive, it was at low speed. There was no serious damage and no physical injuries.

Hammond, driven by remorse and shame, had repaired his ex-partner's car.

Asking for a community sentence Mr Hobson said his client had been made redundant from Raychem four years ago, which brought on his depression.

He said Hammond looked after his children, who lived with him, and sending him to prison would punish them as well.

Recorder Ian Lawrie ordered Hammond to do 200 hours community punishment for the dangerous driving and 50 hours for causing criminal damage, to run concurrently.

He also disqualified him from driving for 18 months, but imposed no separate penalty for having no insurance.

Tina Clarke