A YOUNG driver who left a trade unionist lying in a road bleeding, unconscious and with both legs shattered told a Manchester Court yesterday that the activists had had “no right” to stand in his way.

Michael Collins, 20, is appearing at Manchester Crown Court charged with dangerous driving. He has pleaded not guilty.

The case centres on an incident on Wednesday May 15 last year when Unite members were staging an anti-blacklisting protest against construction firm Bam outside Manchester City football club’s training ground and stadium.

The court has heard the activists were stopping vehicles to hand out leaflets. Among them was veteran trade union campaigner and blacklisted electrician George Tapp, who was 64 at the time.

Mr Tapp was standing in front of a Ford Ka driven by Mr Collins, the court has heard, when it moved forward. It then accelerated, carrying Mr Tapp and another campaigner on its bonnet, eventually halting.

Mr Tapp was left unconscious in the road, bleeding, suffering severe fractures to his legs and a fractured skull.

Mr Tapp, who gave evidence earlier in the hearing, still has difficulty and walks with the aid of a stick.

Today Mr Collins gave evidence in his own defence. He was shown CCTV video footage — also seen by the jury — of the whole of the incident.

Prosecution counsel Neil Brockwith asked Mr Collins: “You drove them into them, why did you do that?”

Mr Collins replied: “I was driving towards them.” Mr Brockwith: “No Mr Collins. You drove into them.”

Mr Collins said they had “no right” to stand in his way.

“I was not driving into them. I was moving slowly along that road where I had got the right to go. I clearly said to them ‘are you going to move out of the way?’ and he said ‘No’.”

Mr Brockwith: “So because he was not going to get out of the way, you drove into them.”

Mr Collins: “No. I moved nice and slowly towards him. He had of plenty of time to move out of the way.”

After seeing video of Mr Tapp being carried down the road on the car bonnet, Mr Collins said to the court: “Look, they’re having great fun there. Their hands in the air — they’re having great fun. I didn’t find it funny.”

Judge Mr Recorder Sephton QC told the jury, which has retired to consider its verdict, that although the fact that obstructing the highway was unlawful the issue was a “red herring.” The court adjourned until today.