A man accused of driving his van at four teenagers who he thought vandalised it has told a court he did not intend to mow them down.

Mark Newcombe, 35, of Jerome Way, Shipton-on-Cherwell, denies two counts of grievous bodily harm with intent, one of attempted grievous bodily harm and one of dangerous driving.

At Oxford Crown Court today, the father-of-five said he was asleep at home on June 23 last year when he was woken by a group of men in balaclavas on the drive near his vehicle. He said one of the men started smashing up his vehicle when he spotted him looking.

Newcombe stayed indoors but later decided to try to find the vandals so he could identify them to police.

He said: "They split up diagonally and I approached the verge because I had to get as close as possible to identify them.

"I leant forward and was looking out of the passenger window at two men as I went along the verge.

"Next minute I see a shadow come in front of the nearside passenger window and in that second I knew I'd hit someone."

The trial continues.