A young father has been cleared of trying to drive another motorist off the road as part of a village feud.
Butcher's son Lee Chappell said he was manoeuvring around parked cars rather than aiming his vehicle at a farmer's car in the main street of Combe Martin.
He was found not guilty of dangerous driving by a jury at Exeter Crown Court after to told them he had no intention of endangering anyone because he had his girlfriend and baby son in his car with him.
He denied laughing at farmer Tony Stevens as they passed near the Post Office and said he was so shaken he had to pull over into a side road after the near miss.
He alleged Mr Stevens had failed to slow down and had been 'playing chicken' with him during the incident in April last year.
Chappell, aged 25, of Victoria Street, Combe Martin, denied dangerous driving and was acquitted at Exeter Crown Court.
During the two day trial farmer Mr Stevens said there was a family feud with Chappell arising from an incident five years ago at his brother-in-law's house where Chappell's ex girlfriend and their baby were living.
He described the family as bullies and said Chappell and his brother Ben made abusive gestures towards him whenever they saw him.
He said he was driving through the centre of Combe Martin with his five-year-old son when Chappell's burgundy coloured Peugeot forced him off the road.
Retired social worker Trevor Dunkerley, aged 75, said he was following Mr Stevens' white Suzuki and also had to take avoiding action.
Chappell told the jury he'd had no contact with Mr Stevens since the incident with his brother in law in 2010 and did not recognise his Suzuki jeep as he drove past the Post Office.
He said he had his girlfriend and their one year-old baby in the car and would not have done anything to put them at risk and had been shocked by the near collision.
He said he pulled out on a narrow section of the road to pass two cars parked outside the shop and then found Mr Stevens driving straight at him.
He said:"The jeep was coming towards me and would not slow down so I had to cut in around the cars and he kept on going up through the street. I saw it was him.
"I never drove at him. I had my girlfriend and young baby in the car and I would never do that. I would never run anyone off the road.
"It was a very tight squeeze. I did not swerve towards him deliberately. I pulled into a lane down the road and stopped because I was shaken up by it."
↧