The daughter of a life peer went on a wild rampage in her car through a picturesque town after she claimed a church leader had ”attacked” her, a court heard yesterday.
The Hon Linda Granville, 61, sounded her horn continuously as she raced through narrow streets in her top-of-the-range 4×4 Land Rover Freelander on May 5, last year.
She then pulled up outside a church and left a folder and two pieces of paper scrawled with ramblings at the altar before she ploughed the £40,000 car through the gates at 40mph.
After ramming the gate Granville overtook a parked car and jumped a red light before smashing violently into another car as it waited to turn right.
She claimed she was attacked moments before she smashed through a pair of church gates, accusing church verger Peter Young of grabbing her by the wrists.
Representing herself, she told Mr Young: ”I put it to you Mr Young that you ran out and attacked me as I ran out to my car.
”You grabbed my wrists so that it stopped me getting into the car, didn’t you?”
Mr Young replied: ”No, that’s not the truth.”
Granville added: ”I suggest that you grabbed my wrists and I had to fight you off and this was happening as I was getting into my car.
”Having grabbed my wrists I had to fight you off.
”Eventually I got into the car but then you grabbed the car door and you fought me for the door.
”I managed to use my strength to pull the door away from you, pull it closed and quickly bolt the locks to secure myself.
”I put it to you that this is what happened in the attack and that I’m the victim and you are the culprit, Mr Young.
”You followed my car to the gate which was at the time just partially open enough for me to squeeze through.
”But instead of allowing me o go through and leave you slammed the gates on my car causing damage to my car and the gates and the car to go out of control resulting in an accident due to mechanical failure.”
Mr Young replied: ”No, that’s not the case”.
Granville yesterday denied dangerous driving and damaging property at Worcester Crown Court.
The case continues today
