A MOTORIST who refused to move his car which obstructed a pedestrian crossing in Worcester ended up with a suspended jail sentence and a bill for nearly £600.

Telmo Amaral-Fernandes parked his VW Passat in Lowesmoor but was spotted by a policemen and asked to move.

He said he wanted to finish his shopping first - then swore at the officer as he challenged him to make an arrest, Worcester Crown Court heard.

The defendant, upset over redundancy, then tried to drive off, with the policeman hanging onto the door handle. But he was stopped when another driver blocked his escape route after only 20 feet.

Amaral-Fernandes, aged 31, of Station Road, Fernhill Heath, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving.

Judge John Cavell said the case passed the custody threshold and warned he would have sent him straight to jail if the driving had been longer or anyone had been injured.

He gave the defendant a four month prison term, suspended for 18 months, and ordered him to pay £500 court costs and £90 compensation to John Harwood, whose car was damaged.

Amaral-Fernandes was also banned from driving for 12 months and told to carry out 120 hours of unpaid community work. He must take an extended re-test before going back on the road.

The judge said: "Redundancy was no excuse for the way you behaved. It all came about because you were politely told to move your car which was causing a danger by a pedestrian crossing. You said you would do it in your own time."

Stephen Davies, prosecuting, said the VW was seen on December 21 last year parked on the crossing's zig-zag markings.

The officer warned Amaral-Fernandes that if he did not move the vehicle he would be given a parking ticket.

Eventually he tried to drive away. An off-duty policeman went to assist his fellow officer and was handed a baton to smash the car window.

But before he could act, Mr Harwood, "in a public-spirited act", managed to drive his Skoda into the path of the VW blocking it in, said Mr Davies. The VW crashed into it.

Amaral-Fernandes had suffered a breakdown after losing his job, said Danny Smith, defending. "This was the straw that broke the camel's back," he added.

He said the defendant had found a new job with an insulation firm but believed he would lose it because of the driving ban.