A LONG history of bad feeling between two old age pensioners came to a head when one drove his car into the other on a country lane - then jumped out and attacked the 82-year-old victim with his walking stick.

After hitting Royston Batten several times with the stick, 73-year-old Malcolm Cooper shouted "Next time I see you I’m going to f***ing kill you,’ Gloucester Crown Court was told.

Retired shopkeeper Cooper, of Driffield Road, Lydney, then got back in his Toyota Auris car and drove off, leaving Mr Batten lying injured in the lane at Bullo Pill near Newnham.

Bizarrely, the court was told, Cooper then drove to Coleford police station, reported the incident, and handed over his dashcam video of the incident.

Cooper, who runs an animal sanctuary near the scene of the attack, had led an unblemished life until the violent outburst on June 29 2019, said the prosecution.

Cooper pleaded guilty to assaulting Mr Batten causing actual bodily harm and driving carelessly.

Judge Ian Lawrie QC conditionally discharged him for two years, ordered him to pay Mr Batten £750 compensation, and endorsed his driving licence with six penalty points.

He also made a two year restraining order barring the defendant from stopping his car within 20 metres of Mr Batten’s home on the lane where the attack happened.

Until the day before the court hearing last Wednesday (January 26 he had denied any wrongdoing and a jury trial was to be held.

Cooper admitted both offences when the motoring charge was reduced from dangerous driving to driving without due care and attention.

The ill-feeling between the two men was over a nine acres land owned by Cooper close to Mr Batten’s home which he has fenced off to provide a sanctuary for 37 animals, mainly horses, which he visits twice a day to care for.

Previously the land had been unfenced and there had been bad feeling about him depriving locals of what they regarded as a right of way, the court was told.

Neil Treharne, prosecuting said that early on the morning of Saturday, June 29, 2019 Mr Batten, known as Charlie, was walking along the unregistered road near his home at Bullo Pill when Cooper drove past him.

"The defendant shouted some abuse at Mr Batten," said the prosecutor.

"Mr Batten responded. It was clear that there was some form of background or aggression between the two parties.

"Later that day, at 4.20pm, Mr Batten was walking from his property along the road. As he was walking, the defendant drove his car along the lane and on his dashcam footage you can clearly see Mr Batten in the distance.

"The car was doing about 12mph. He doesn’t stop, he doesn’t brake, he approaches Mr Batten and he blows his horn two seconds before impact.

"Mr Batten is seen to stumble to the left. The car hit him and he fell to the ground on the left hand side of the vehicle.

"It is quite clear the defendant made no attempt to brake but he did blow his horn. That may be his saving grace on the original charge of dangerous driving. The victim was alerted and did try to get out of the way but he was startled."

Mr Treharne said that after impact Cooper stopped his car and got out.

"He starts assaulting Mr Batten, who is on the floor," said the barrister. "Mr Batten was unable to get up because of his age and injury.

"You can hear on the dashcam CCTV that the defendant was shouting at him and telling him to get up. Mr Batten says he was being kicked and punched.

"Then the defendant said ’I’m going to smash your face in.’

"He returned to his vehicle and got a walking stick from the boot and started hitting Mr Batten with it on the head and arm. Mr Batten was bleeding and the defendant sarcasticaly said ’Oh, you’re bleeding -next time I see you I’m going to f***ing kill you.’

"He then got in his car and drove off. Later, he attended the police station at Coleford and gave the police the dashcam footage. He told the police the victim had jumped on his car bonnet causing damage to his vehicle. "

Mr Treharne said Mr Batten had health problems before the incident and the assault had compounded them, making it struggle for him to continue caring for his partner, who has dementia.

Judge Ian Lawrie QC said to defence lawyer Jason Coulter said "This was an extraordinary piece of behaviour by someone in his 70s who has never previously put a foot wrong in his entire life. "

Mr Coulter said "This animosity had gone on for years, it would seem. It is usually just a little bit of mutual verbal abuse from both parties.

"But earlier on the day of this incident there had been a ’full and frank’ exchange of view in the lane outside the complainant’s house.

"Mr Cooper lives in a bungalow in Lydney with his wife but drives down this lane twice a day at the same times each day. He has a form of animal sanctuary that he goes to. He bought the land about 22 years ago ad constructed stables and a yard and put in fencing.

"I think the fencing may have caused problems because the land, about nine acres or so, had been used freely by those living in the lane prior to Mr Cooper’s acquisution of it. It seems there were exchanges about what the locals perceived as their right of way over the land coming to a halt."

Since the assault Cooper had continued visiting the land every day for the last two and a half years with no further incidents.

The incident had cost Cooper dearly because he had funded his own defence but he accepted he should now compensate Mr Batten for his injuries, added Mr Coulter.

"It would seem that the red mist descended on him that day when he got out of the car and behaved in a wholly uncharacteristic manner."

"He now really wants to put this sorry affair behind him as quickly as he possibly can."

Judge Lawrie told Cooper he would hate there to be any further incidents which would force him to consider locking up a man of 73.