Angry man rams car

But he was stunned when his wife, soon to be ex-wife, and children clambered out of the wreck following the collision in Cores End Road, Bourne End.

Hands, 41, of Goring Road, Staines, who denied the charge, was convicted of dangerous driving by a jury at Reading Crown Court on Friday.

The father-of-two had been on his way to collect the last of his belongings from the former marital home, on October 8, when he recognised the grey Rover car belonging to Mrs Kirtland, the court heard.

But his wife, Sandra, whose decree absolute is due within the next few months, had decided to avoid a confrontation.

She had packed their children into her mother's Rover and set off to visit a friend.

As theirpaths crossed in Cores End Road, Hands swerved his Vauxhall Astra towards the Rover and the cars crashed, the court heard.

Mrs Hands told the jury how her children said "it's daddy" before they screamed as the car was hit.

She said: "I was following the car in front of me which had started to brake. Then I saw a wall of blue and felt the impact next to me."

Mrs Hands, who was taken to hospital forsevere whiplash injury, said she then watched her husband stand at the side of the road, looking smug.

She added: "He had his hands on his hips and all I remember was that smug look he had. It was like he was pleased with what he had done."

Mrs Kirtland told the court she had no doubt Hands deliberately rammed his car into her Rover, which had been bought by her late husband.

But Hands told the court he had been trying to make his mother-in-law slow down.

He said: "I was angry. I did it to annoy my mother-in-law. I thought she would see me and have to slow down."

Hands added he would never have done it if he had realised his children were in the car.

But the jury was unanimous in its guilty verdict.

Hands was released on conditional bail. The case was adjourned until March 2, for sentencing.