A FAST food seller who deliberately drove his car at a rival in a burger bar 'war' on a Droitwich car park has been convicted by a jury.

Mark Doe flew into a rage when he found Anthony Astle had been given his pitch on the DFS furniture superstore site.

With wheels spinning, he drove at Mr Astle who fell over backwards as he tried to escape and got his leg trapped between the front bumper and a kerb.

Then he reversed into the victim's van causing £1,500 damage. As he drove off, Mr Astle's partner, Robin Nash, told Worcester Crown Court he heard Doe shout out: "You're dead."

Doe, a 34-year-old father of two, of Torton Villas, Worcester Road, Hartlebury, near Kidderminster, was found guilty of common assault, criminal damage and dangerous driving.

Judge Michael Mott told him: "Using a motor car as a weapon is a serious matter."

He bailed Doe for a pre-sentence report and the case will return to court in the New Year.

Prosecutor Adam Western said Doe had seven previous convictions, mainly for dishonesty. He was sent to youth custody in 1990 for handling stolen property and had two aliases.

Mr Astle took up Doe's pitch with permission from the store on July 27, 2002 after he had stopped using it for six weeks.

Doe turned up and began making threats before storming into the store to talk to the manager. When he emerged he was angry and upset.

Mr Nash, who had just come out of Homebase, told the jury that Doe 'went off his head' and knocked Mr Astle over with his car.

He added that it was a well-known trick in the trade to "dent" a burger van in order to stop a rival working.

David Moore, an independent witness from Worcester, heard a squeal of tyres and said Doe was in control of the car when it advanced on Mr Astle.

Doe did not give evidence but told police he did not deliberately drive at Mr Astle but struck him when he selected the wrong gear by mistake.

He claimed his car park exit was blocked by a Range Rover causing him to accidentally reverse into the van. He was aggrieved because the store pitch provided him with a valuable source of income to pay his mortgage and feed his children.

Defence barrister Andrew Faux said the bad driving was carried out "in a moment of panic."

by COURT REPORTER