A man attacked his love rival’s car with a crowbar after seeing it parked outside his ex-girlfriend's home.

James Daniel Lowery, 32, smashed a side window and damaged the windscreen of the vehicle, said Kathryn Walters, prosecuting.

When the car’s owner came out to confront him, Lowery got into a waiting white van, shouting “go” and the van drove off.

Magistrates banned him from going near his ex-girlfriend, her Eggborough home, or the car’s owner under a five-year restraining order.

Jobless Lowery, of Moorland Road, Goole, denied causing criminal damage to the car but was convicted at a trial at York Magistrates' Court last month.

He admitted failure to comply with a community order imposed last August for shop theft.

Magistrates revoked the community order and sentenced him for both offences to a new community order to last 12 months with 20 days’ rehabilitative activities and a 19-day probation-run rehabilitative programme.

They also ordered him to pay £200 compensation to the car’s owner, a £114 statutory surcharge and £625 prosecution costs.

Mrs Walters said the car owner was the current partner of Lowery’s ex-girlfriend and the two had been together at her house on July 23 last year when they heard a smashing sound outside.

Looking out, the new boyfriend saw Lowery hitting the windscreen of his car with a crowbar and then attacking a side window and went out to confront him.

As a result of the incident, the car owner no longer feels safe in his girlfriend’s home and had difficulty relaxing there, York Magistrates' Court heard.

In a personal statement, the car owner described how he and his girlfriend had heard the letterbox rattle on another occasion and fearing it could be Lowery returning had gone to check if he was around.

Kevin Blount for Lowery said: “This is somewhat of an isolated incident.”

Nothing had happened between the two men during the period when Lowery was on bail awaiting trial.

“There is no suggestion of any repeat (of the criminal damage), no suggestion of breach of bail conditions, no suggestion of further difficulties,” said Mr Blount.

Lowery had had an accident at work which had led to him getting into financial difficulties and he had taken the “very foolish decision” to shoplift. That had led to him receiving the first community order last summer.

He now had medical issues which meant he couldn’t work and mobility problems which at times prevented him from getting to appointments.

The court heard a probation report stating that Lowery had not attended appointments as part of the original community order and had not provided any details of medical issues to the probation service or medical evidence to explain his absences.