A NEIGHBOUR dispute over a parked van led to a Longniddry man appearing in court after he lost his temper and drove into the vehicle.

Gavin Barrett was upset at his neighbour Daniel Gillan parking his Transit van near to his home at the village’s Forthview Road and, following months of arguing, the dispute came to a head last February.

Barret claimed he could not move his car due to the van’s position on the road and began shouting and swearing outside Mr Gillan’s home.

He then drove his car into the side of Mr Gillan’s work’s van before calling the man’s family “scum”.

Police were called in to deal with the situation and Barrett was arrested and charged.

He appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last Friday, where he escaped a road ban and was instead issued with a fine and penalty points.

Fiscal depute Brent Bissett told the court that Mr Gillan parked the van near his own home at about 3.30pm on February 2 last year and the trouble erupted that evening.

Mr Bissett said: “Around 7pm the accused was heard outside trying to move his vehicle and he was struggling due to the [Transit] which was parked on the roadway.

“The accused then began shouting and swearing regarding the complainer to move his ****ing van.

“The accused then tried to move his vehicle backwards and forwards and again was heard to shout ‘move that ****ing van’.

“This went on for a period of time and Mr Gillan went outside to see what was happening.

“The accused then reversed his vehicle and struck the side of Mr Gillan’s van and continued onto the kerb.

“He shouted that Mr Gillan’s family were scum and Mr Gillan returned home to contact the police.”

Solicitor Gordon Stewart, defending, said that Barrett had approached Mr Gillan about six months previous to the incident in a bid to get him to park his Transit in a way “not to cause problems for Mr Barrett”.

Mr Stewart said: “The complainer told him he and his family had lived there for 40 years and that Mr Barrett should **** off.

“Things carried on for a while and on this occasion last February Mr Barrett tells me he was pushed to the limit and he reacted in the way he did.”

Mr Stewart said Barrett had sent a message of apology to Mr Gillan for his actions that day and no one had lost out financially as the damage to the Transit was covered in full by the insurance company.

The lawyer added that his client was a registered taxi driver and had also received a job offer from sheriff officers and should start with them imminently.

Mr Stewart said any driving ban would “impact on his future employment” and asked the sheriff not to issue a ban but to add points to Barrett’s licence.

Sheriff Donald Corke agreed and decided to issue a five-point penalty and told Barrett he must also pay a £225 fine.

Barrett – who has since moved to Edinburgh – admitted behaving in an abusive and threatening manner by repeatedly shouting and swearing at Forthview Road, Longniddry, on February 2 last year.

He also pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention during the same incident.

A plea of not guilty to failing to report the accident to the police was accepted by the Crown.