SEEING a car collide with his own led a man to lash out at a neighbour's vehicle, magistrates sitting in Swindon heard.

Leigh Childs of Windermere, Liden, appeared before magistrates sitting in Swindon on Wednesday to face one charge of causing damage to a vehicle, using threatening behaviour and two separate drugs charges. The 26-year-old pleaded guilty to all charges brought against him.

Crown prosecutor Pauline Lambert told the court that Childs had damaged the neighbour's car on April 2 believing him to have previously caused damage to his own Ford Mondeo.

"The injured party had just got home and parked in his allocated parking space," said Ms Lambert. "When he got out of the vehicle a Ford Mondeo pulled up and parked right in front of him and Mr Childs said to him 'what are you going to do about the damage to my car?' He replied that he didn't know what he was talking about.

"Mr Childs alleged that there had been some damage previously to his vehicle and as a result started shouting and swearing at him."

Childs then got back into his Mondeo and realigned his car with the man's Ford Galaxy to line up the point of damage with the Galaxy.

When the man failed to see this, Childs kicked out at the Galaxy, causing a dent and a scratch in the door. He then got back into his own car and reversed at speed, almost colliding with the man's wife.

Defending Childs, who lives and works with his mother helping out at a stables and repairing horse boxes, Gordon Hotson said his client was now completely clean of drugs, having been found in possession of crack cocaine and heroin on February 22. He explained to he situation with the neighbour had arisen after seeing his own car being damaged. He initially left a note on the windscreen of the vehicle asking them to get in touch with him, but when that didn't happen he took matters into his own hands.

Sentencing him Lady Maria Pitt said: "It is very good news that you have taken it on your own back to sort out your drug problem. That is very difficult to do and long may it last.

"However, you should never take the law into your own hands, that is something that should never happen."

She imposed a total of £451 in fines for the four offences, and ordered he pay a victim surcharge of £30 along with £85 costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.

She also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the drugs, to which Childs responded: "I don't need them anymore, I'm clean."