A LOWER Gornal ice-cream man who launched a chilling campaign on a rival to scare her into moving out of the area, has been jailed for six months.

As well as ramming the van of Maxine Catalano, 20-year-old Steffan Debattista also turned on her vehicle’s dispenser, causing ice-cream to pour all over the floor.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how Debattista, of Boundary Hill, had decided to frighten the other icecream seller out of making sales in the Dudley area by following her in his van.

Judge Nicholas Webb told the court the defendant had driven behind her vehicle for “quite a distance”, repeatedly getting close to its rear and making her feel extremely intimidated.

Miss Catalano managed to turn away from the van, but Debattista came across her vehicle again at traffic lights when he was ahead of her, stationary in his vehicle while the lights were on green.

Judge Webb said: "You then deliberately reversed into her vehicle causing several hundreds of pounds damage when you knew she was in the vehicle with a passenger."

The court heard how Debattista drove away from the scene, but the incident had been witnessed by a member of the public.

The judge added: “Not satisfied with that 11 days later you encountered her again. You went to her ice cream machine and you manipulated the lever to the ice-cream dispenser and you poured it all over the floor."

Debattista had denied dangerous driving but was found guilty by a jury at the end of his trial having admitted causing criminal damage.

"This kind of behaviour is serious and you deserve absolutely no credit for your stance," the judge told Debattista.

"This was prolonged dangerous driving culminating in a collision and what you did must mean custody."

"People who drive like this have got to realise it will be taken extremely seriously by the courts. Fortunately no-one suffered any serious injury."

He further disqualified Debattista from driving for two years and made an indefinite restraining order forbidding him from having any contact with Miss Catalano or her ice-cream firm William Rickaby defending said Debattista was now unemployed and the incident had taught him a salutary lesson.