A MANIAC hit-and-run driver who sneered "watch this" before mowing down a young mother and leaving her dying in a pool of blood has been jailed.

David Little, 25, drove his van at 35-year-old Angela Armstrong as she walked towards her home.

Newcastle Crown Court heard how Little snapped after his tyres were slashed and his van covered in yellow paint.

James Spencer QC, prosecuting, told the court how Little thought Miss Armstrong, a known drug user, was responsible for the attack. He also blamed her for the problems he was having with his girlfriend.

The court heard how, after speeding up and down Miss Armstrong's street in a bid to frighten her, Little spotted her returning from shops in the Walker area of Newcastle.

Mr Spencer added: "He said to some youths 'watch this', then set off, driving at Angela. She was on the grass verge at the time and he mounted the kerb, struck her, and then drove off."

Miss Armstrong, who has one daughter, died from severe head injuries.

Little was charged with murder but on the first day of his trial at Newcastle Crown Court the Crown Prosecution Service accepted his guilty plea to manslaughter.

Little, of St Anthony's House, Walker, was jailed for three-and-a-half years.