A MAN’S parting shot at the end of a relationship was to shunt into his, by then ex-partner in anger as she was driving to her mother’s home.

Andrew William Farmer had earlier jumped onto the bonnet of the woman’s Renault Clio after arguing at her home, in Peterlee, County Durham.

The heated row, on the morning of Monday, August 15, last year, brought the “on/off” relationship to a close, Durham Crown Court was told.

Penny Bottomley, prosecuting, said, as Farmer was leaving he leapt onto the Clio bonnet, “crumpling” it in the process, so he then asked for the car keys, offering to carry out repairs.

But his ex-partner refused and told him to leave, which he did, getting into his Volkswagen Passat.

As she, also, pulled away in the Clio, intending to go to her mother’s home, Farmer drove in the same direction, leaving Edenhill and turning onto Acre Rigg Road.

Miss Bottomley said Farmer drove into the back of the Clio, but when he saw his ex-partner on the phone, as she was ringing the police, he drove away from the scene.

As she had pre-existing spinal injuries and suffered whiplash, she was unable to get out of the vehicle.

She had to be cut free from the car, and, apart from the whiplash, suffered some other pain and discomfort, but no more serious injuries.

When arrested and interviewed later, Farmer gave “no comment” interviews.

The court heard that her had an earlier conviction, last year, for careless driving and failing to stop for police.

Farmer, 27, of Park Road, Horden, admitted dangerous driving and criminal damage, arising from the August incident.

Chris Baker, in mitigation, told the hearing: “He wants to express an apology to the court and to the victim for the way he behaved that day, entirely losing his temper, becoming aggressive and causing damage to her property.

“He set off trying to get her to stop and, when she applied the brakes, he went into the back of that vehicle. They had only driven a short distance at the time.

“He would have been aware of her medical problem when that behaviour took place, and concedes it crosses the, ‘custody threshold’.”

Jailing him for a total of 12 months, Judge Simon Hickey told Farmer: “Here, in the context of a domestic relationship which had just finished, you drove dangerously.

“Quite unnecessarily, you drove your Passat so close behind her car that when she broke, you ran into the back of her car.

“Due to her whiplash, the fire service had to cut her out of the car.”

Judge Hickey also banned Farmer from driving for 18 months and ordered him to pay £100 statutory surcharge.