TENSIONS boiled over when a car was parked on a County Durham farmer’s driveway due to a double puncture, a court was told.

Farmer Robert Hooper approached and asked the driver to move it from the entrance to his property, Brockersgill Farm, at Newbiggin-in-Teesdale.

But the driver, who had use of the Vauxhall Corsa as a courtesy vehicle, told him he and his friend were arranging recovery and would not be long.

Durham Crown Court heard Mr Hooper told them he would move it himself.

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He drove to the nearby farmhouse to attach lifting rails to the front of his tractor.

David Ward, prosecuting, said Mr Hooper then drove back towards the silver Corsa in the tractor and began to forcibly push it back out of his drive way, all the time being filmed by the driver’s friend, standing alongside.

As the rails could not fully attach to the car it was pushed hanging partly on its roof and side, badly damaging the vehicle.

Although the driver’s friend tried to hit Mr Hooper through the tractor window and kick it to distract him from further damaging the Corsa, it flipped over onto its roof, on the road outside, the B6277.

The man filming the incident said he was struck a glancing blow on the lower back by one of the tractor rails.

He was knocked off his feet and suffered bruising.

Mr Hooper was then said to have driven back to the farmhouse.

Police were called and on arrival were given the film footage by the driver’s friend.

Mr Ward said Mr Hooper was arrested and told police his partner had earlier asked the driver to move the Corsa.

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Mr Hooper told police they later returned and when he went to speak to them they were aggressive and assaulted him.

At this point he said he told them he would move the car out of his drive way himself, and attempted to push it out onto the road.

He claimed he feared for his safety throughout the incident, at about 5.30pm on a sunny late afternoon, on Saturday June 5, last year.

As the first witness, the Corsa driver’s friend, then gave evidence both the video shot by him and the driver were shown to the jury.

He said his friend drove it back onto the farm drive for safety until they were able to get assistance to fix the two punctures.

The witness claimed it was not blocking entrance or entry to Mr Hooper's land and there was space to drive a tractor out from the drive way.

Asked about his demeanour, the witness said he and his friend acted “reasonably” throughout, but under cross-examination by Mr Hooper’s counsel, Michael Rawlinson, he denied being, "obnoxious, aggressive, anti-social and confrontational".

The court heard the witness, from South Shields, and his friend, had been to nearby Low Force, with about six other friends, from about 10.30am that day.

He denied having earlier walked down the middle of the road shirtless and during the later incident punching Mr Hooper, splitting his lip.

Mr Rawlinson put it to him: "You started the trouble on that day.

"Mr Hopper was going about his daily life and he was doing his job and you were looking for trouble, for whatever reason."

The witness denied Mr Rawlinson's assertion.

Special Constable Robert Booth told the court that the witness was "animated" and appeared to have been drinking when he reached the scene.

He told the court that the witness had stated several times, "he had punched the farmer and would punch him again if he came out."

The officer, now PC Booth, said Mr Hooper told him that both he and his partner had politely asked the men to move their car but had been punched in the face for his trouble.

He then returned with his tractor and was again punched in the face.

PC Booth told the court in a statement: "Hooper said it was then that he saw red and used his machine to push the car out of the way."

Mr Hooper, 57, who has no convictions, denies dangerous driving and damaging property.

The trial, expected to last up to three days, continues today.

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