A YORK coach driver tried to hire a "hitman" to kill a man who was driving John Prescott's election battlebus, a jury heard.

Paul Logan, of Acomb, was at the wheel of the Deputy Prime Minister's tour bus during the General Election campaign, Bradford Crown Court was told.

At about that time, coach driver Anthony Ferrant is alleged to have solicited Harrogate tattooist Martin Blythe to murder Mr Logan, after claiming he was having an affair with Mr Logan's wife.

Ferrant, 50, of Gale Lane, Acomb, who denies the charge, claimed in police interviews that he only wanted Mr Logan scaring, not killing.

He said he had known nothing was going to happen for a couple of weeks, because there would be MI5 and Special Branch officers around while he was driving for Mr Prescott.

As reported in later editions of Monday's Evening Press, Ferrant told Mr Blythe - in a telephone conversation secretly taped by police - that he wanted Mr Logan to be "no more" and he wanted a "6ft jobbie".

Mr Blythe alleged Ferrant had earlier told him he would write off the remaining repayments - about £2,000 - on a £4,000 loan if he agreed to kill Mr Logan.

He said he was "stunned" by the suggestion, which he said was made as they chatted in the cafe at Morrisons supermarket in Harrogate, and he reported the matter to police later that day. "It's not something you would discuss over a sausage roll in Morrisons," Mr Blythe said.

But the jury heard yesterday that in a police interview, Ferrant claimed that Mr Blythe had "got the wrong end of the stick". He repeatedly claimed that he had only wanted him to scare Mr Logan away from York, not to kill him. He had wanted Mr Logan to be "no more in the area". He told police: "I wanted him spoken to - not murdered. I wanted Martin to use scare tactics on him."

Ferrant, who said he drove rock groups around on tours, admitted that he had said at one stage he would like to see Mr Logan "6ft under", but never said he wanted him killed.

He claimed the recorded comment he had made about a "6ft jobbie" was probably a reference to a "pile of ****".

He claimed Mr Logan had been "mentally cruel" to his wife, Annette, with whom Ferrant claimed to have been having a relationship.

Ferrant, giving evidence in the witness box today, told the court how he had met up with Mr Blythe in a Morrisons supermarket caf to discuss what he described as his "York problem".

He claimed Mr Blythe had asked him to write down Mr Logan's details, such as his route to work, and also admitted handing him a photograph of Mr Logan to "refresh his memory" as to what he looked like.

Ferrant said "I did suggest that if he (Mr Blythe) helped me out with this problem we'd be square. I said to him if he wants to clear my debt I would like him to go and have a word with Mr Logan." Asked why he had done this, Ferrant replied: "To basically scare Mr Logan away."

The trial continues.

We have been asked to point out that Martin Blythe, a City of York Council solicitor, has no connection with this court case.

Updated: 08:28 Wednesday, October 19, 2005