A Co Donegal man tried to run over a traffic warden in his car in a row over parking fines, a court has heard.

John Boyle tried to mow down traffic warden Danny Doherty while he was crossing the Main Street in Letterkenny.

The traffic warden, who was in full uniform, was pushed back four metres after being struck by Boyle’s Ford Mondeo r but did not receive any serious injuries.

Boyle, a 49-year-old married man, had an issue with the traffic warden over parking tickets, Letterkenny District Court was told.

The traffic warden managed to bang his hand against Boyle’s bonnet to get him to stop during the incident at Market Square on November 12th, 2012.

Boyle, of Leck Cottages, Letterkenny, accused the traffic warden of damaging his car and threatened him.

The court was told Boyle met Mr Doherty at a later date and pointed at him to another man.

He accused Mr Doherty of damaging his car, said he knew where he lived and that he would “kick him around the car park.”

Judge Paul Kelly asked why Boyle had driven at Mr Doherty in the first place and was told by defence solicitor Patsy Gallagher that there was an issue over parking tickets.

“My client’s head was not in the right place then,” said Mr Gallagher.

Judge Kelly described the incident as bizarre but reduced the charge from dangerous driving to careless driving at the request of gardaí.

He fined Boyle €250 and ordered him to keep the peace for a year and not to interfere in any way with Mr Doherty.

The court heard Boyle is on temporary release from Castlerea Prison where he is serving an 18 month sentence for an incident in which he stabbed five people, including a garda in Letterkenny on August 14th, 2011.