A MOTORIST deliberately drove at a cyclist who complained about him clipping him with his wing mirror while overtaking in Stinchcombe, a jury was told today.

Daniel Mansell, 22, reversed his Volkswagen (VW) Polo in the main road in the village before driving straight at cyclist Stephen Barnes, it was alleged at Gloucester Crown Court.

Mr Barnes had to jump onto the car bonnet to avoid the impact - and was then thrown off again when the Polo braked hard, said prosecutor Philip Warren.

Mansell, of Woodview Road, Cam, denies driving dangerously on The Avenue, Stinchcombe, on November 16, 2014. He also denies attempting to cause grievous bodily harm to the cyclist.

Mr Warren said Mr Barnes was riding through Stinchcombe in a group of six to eight cyclists when he realised there was a car behind him. He was at the back of the group and called to those in front to get into single file.

"The Polo then went past him too close," said Mr Warren. "The nearside wing mirror clipped Mr Barnes.

"The car carried on and Mr Barnes put on a sprint to catch up with the VW and was shouting to the driver to stop. The defendant did stop. Mr Barnes knocked on his car window.

"The defendant partly opened his door as if to get out but then it shut again. He reversed the vehicle back towards Mr Barnes.

"The back of his car went into the offside lane as he reversed past Mr Barnes. This caused oncoming motorists to stop.

"Mr Barnes had put his bike down and was standing with his back directly in front of the Polo.

"What the defendant then did was to drive straight at Mr Barnes, we say deliberately.

"The only thing Mr Barnes could do to avoid being run over was to jump up onto the bonnet of the moving VW. As you can imagine, that was a pretty frightening experience for him.

"The prosecution say the defendant then braked hard and caused Mr Barnes to fall from the bonnet to the ground.

"He was not seriously injured but you may feel that was more by luck than judgement.

"The car went on and drove over Mr Barnes' bike causing damage to it which left it beyond repair. The VW then shot off."

Mr Warren said the incident was witnessed by a motorist who had been forced to stop, Edward Raffle, and he would give evidence supporting Mr Barnes' version of events.

When Mansell was interviewed by police a month after the incident he said that the rider had banged on his car, frightening him.

"His account is that Mr Barnes did that for no good reason," said Mr Warren. "He claimed that all he did was reverse around the cyclist and then drive off. He denied having driven at him.

"Asked if Mr Barnes had jumped onto the bonnet he initially said 'No Comment' and then said 'I honestly don't remember.' He denied driving at Mr Barnes or the bike.

"You may feel after hearing the evidence that the way he drove his car shows he was extremely angry and he had lost it."

The trial continues tomorrow (March 30).