A TEENAGE driver who knocked down and seriously injured a woman told a jury he believed the collision was due to a brick being thrown through his windscreen.

Preston Crown Court heard how Richard Bradley did not stop his car after the incident because he feared for his safety.

The court had previously heard Bradley, 18, of Whitby Drive, Blackburn, say he had not realised he had hit a person until he was arrested by police hours after the incident, on August 15 last year.

Mother-of-three Elaine Haworth sustained head and pelvic injuries after she was struck close to her home in Priory Grange, Darwen.

Bradley has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and inflicting grievous bodily harm, but has denied grievous bodily harm with intent.

The court heard how Bradley had drunk just over one bottle of Taboo on the afternoon of the incident.

He said he had gone with a friend to Abbey Place on the Priory Grange estate to meet someone, but when he got out of the car a boy he did not recognise had started "mouthing off."

He said he got back into the car with the intention of driving off the estate but had taken a wrong turning into Chancel Place, a dead end, and turned the car round. He said he was not aware of any people or children playing in the street, and the first person he saw was Elaine Haworth's husband, Danny.

The court previously heard that, leading up to the collision, the car being driven by Bradley, a silver Vauxhall Astra, would have been travelling at no less than 36mph.

Bradley said he had moved out of the way to avoid Mr Haworth. Asked by Richard Butcher, defending, if he had seen anyone else, he replied: "I did not see anyone in the road, nobody, nothing."

He said the next thing he remembered was the windscreen smashing and he said he believed it had been caused by a brick being thrown by the boy he argued with earlier. Asked by Mr Butcher why he had not stopped, he replied: "If someone chucked a brick at the windscreen what would they do to me if I stopped?"

Asked how he felt when he realised what had happened, he said: "Every day I felt bad about it, ever since it happened."

Richard Howarth, prosecuting, asked him was it a case of "asserting yourself, your domination over people - 'Mind out everybody, here I come. I am screeching my tyres and revving my engine, get out of my way or you will get hurt'." Bradley replied: "No."

(Proceeding)