THE jury in the trial of a 74-year-old man accused of driving around Southbourne with a bartender on his bonnet has been unable to reach a verdict.

Anthony Lee, of Redhill Drive, Bournemouth, is accused of hitting Paul Malin with his Subaru outside the Grove Tavern in January this year, before carrying the 27-year-old half-a-mile on the bonnet, then stopping and punching him in the face.

Yesterday, after several hours of deliberation, the jury of nine women and two men at Bournemouth Crown Court were unable to agree a verdict, and the Crown Prosecution Service was given seven days to decide whether it would seek a re-trial.

During the case the prosecution claimed that Lee first crashed into the Mr Malin’s car, causing the bartender and his friend Matthew Fitzroy-Titley to come out of the pub and confront him.

Mr Malin said in court: “We were trying to assess the situation by asking him to step out of the car and look at the damage.”

The prosecution alleged that Lee then drove away just as Mr Malin walked in front of the car to stop him leaving.

“It happened so fast I didn’t have a chance to react – it was a case on either on the car or under the car,” he added.

Defending Lee, James Newton-Price said the pensioner had felt threatened by the pair, and that he had stopped four times to give Mr Malin a chance to get off the bonnet.

Speaking outside the court session on Thursday, Mr Newton-Price said: “He [Lee] thought the two men were threatening him so he went to drive away.

“One of them then ended up on his bonnet.

“He drove for about half a mile and during that time he stopped four times to try to give him the chance to get off.

“He found himself in an unexpected situation.”

Lee had entered not guilty pleas to one charge of dangerous driving and another of assault.