A FATHER of eight chased a teenager around the streets of Knutsford in his van and mounted a curb before knocking him off his bike, has been jailed.

Clinton Macrae, 41, of Forrest Road, Stoke on Trent, was told by a judge had 'taken the law into his own hands' after the boy had been involved in a fight with the defendant's younger half brother.

The incident happened at around 8.30pm on Mobberley Road on May 21 last year, after Macrae had been made aware of a fight between his 15-year-old brother and the 13-year-old.

Ffion Tomos, prosecuting, told Chester Crown Court how Macrae had initially pleaded not guilty to two charges, one of attempted grievously bodily harm and one of dangerous driving, but decided to change his plea on the second charge after the boy had already provided his evidence in readiness for a trial.

The prosecution accepted the guilty plea to the charge of dangerous driving, with the section 18 assault being ordered to lie on his file.

"The defendant chased him for a around six to seven minutes in his white Citroen van, often at speed and going up and down pavements," Ms Tomos said.

"He had his son with him in the van, but that didn't stop him opening the door, shouting at the boy to stop and saying he was going to kill him.

"The pursuit only came to a stop when Macrae caught the back wheel of the bike, causing the boy to fall off.

"Macrae got out of his van as the boy ran off to hide in a nearby property.

"The defendant then picked up the bike and threw it into a garden."

Part of the pursuit was captured on CCTV, with the white van clearly seen mounting a curb and driving towards the boy as he desperately tried to make his escape.

Ms Tomos added: "The boy was taken to Macclesfield Hospital where he was treated for his injuries, including a subtle fracture to his right thumb.

"He still has visible scarring on one side of his body and has been struggling to sleep since the incident happened.

"He has also suffered from a lack of focus, which has affected his performance at school.

"He is angry and upset about what happened to him that day."

Defending barrister Milena Bennett, told the court her client, who has eight children, had turned his life around since he last served time in custody for a burglary back in 2011.

She said how Macrae had been unable to control his feelings after hearing his younger brother, who he also cares for, had been involved in a fight.

"He should have just come back home, but he couldn't control his feelings and wanted to have it out with him," she added.

"He accepts he drove dangerously but he tried to stop the accident from happening as witnesses said they heard the sound of screeching brakes.

"My client has expressed true remorse and is mortified by what he did that day, he deeply regrets his actions."

Ms Bennett went on to say how her Macrae had initially been detained in custody following the incident, but after his release on bail made the decision to move the entire family from Knutsford to Stoke on Trent.

"He has since found a job and a home for his family, and an immediate custodial sentence would be detrimental to his eight children who he provides for," she said.

"In the circumstances, I therefore ask your honour to use his discretion and suspend any sentence."

However, His Honour Judge Berkson told Macrae he would be going to prison immediately, as he sentenced him to nine months in custody.

He said: "There is obviously some background to this case as there had obviously been some sort of fight.

"But you took it upon yourself to teach him a lesson.

"You were in a van, he was on a push bike.

"The chase lasted some six or seven minutes and having viewed just a tiny fraction of that on the CCTV footage, I can only imagine the fear in the boy's head.

"The pursuit only ended when you collided with his bike.

"This is a deliberate case of dangerous driving.

"You effectively tried to take the law into your own hands and the only appropriate sentence I can give is one of immediate custody."

Macrae was also disqualified from driving for a period of 18 months, and will have to take an extended re-test when that expires.

He was also made subject of a restraining order and prohibited of contacting the boy for a period of seven years.