PHARMACEUTICAL technician Clive King spoke yesterday of living under intolerable strain before he was finally cleared of driving his car at a police officer.

King, who always denied the charge of dangerous driving in Commercial Road, said: "This year has been a nightmare."

His father died while he was awaiting the trial and his family had been worried and under stress for nearly 10 months.

"I have never had any trouble with the police," he said. "All I did, at the end of the day, was the same as millions of other people do, park quickly on double yellow lines to go into the bank or something.

"When I got home there were half-a-dozen police cars and a helicopter waiting.

"I hadn't told my son and if I had been sent to prison my wife would have been left to pick up the pieces and tell him his daddy wasn't coming home."

King said he was glad he had stuck to his guns because all the jury was interested in was whether he had hit the officer or not.

On the second day of the three-day trial at Swindon Crown Court, the jury had heard that King, 41, of Southampton Street, was of previous good character.

Several people had come forward as character and said he was an honest and trustworthy man.

He was not aggressive, but was polite and respectful.

King claimed that until the recovery truck arrived he thought he was just going to get a telling off. He said he got in the car, put on his seatbelt, looked over his shoulder and drove off at 10mph.

He said that the PC was beside the driver's door, but the car did not touch him. He had no idea how a dent, which another officer later told the court he had found on the vehicle, had got there.

King admitted leaving the car a mile away from his home and jogging back to the house. He later went to the police station after talking the matter over with his wife.

He said he had driven off because he felt that what was happening was unjust and he was adamant that the officer was not telling the truth.

Tina Clarke