A LINWOOD dad is facing a lengthy prison sentence after he mowed down a man who had been cleared of attacking him.

Shaun Inglis, 41, targeted 21-year-old Thomas Barber after feeling “let down” by the acquittal earlier that day.

The High Court in Glasgow heard that Inglis sped towards Mr Barber and his partner when he spotted them walking in Lochwinnoch.

Both were sent sprawling as the Ford Fiesta being driven by Inglis ploughed into them.

Inglis then battered Mr Barber with a brick and sank his teeth into his ear before telling him: “You are a dead man.”

But, after fleeing the scene, he later made a phone to call to admit he had “done something.”

In court, Inglis admitted attempting to murder Mr Barber and his 23-year-old girlfriend Nicole Boyer.

He was remanded in custody pending sentencing next month.

At Paisley Sheriff Court on October 28 last year, Mr Barber was cleared of assaulting Inglis.

This was said to have left Inglis “extremely upset.”

He then spotted Mr Barber and Miss Boyer as he drove in Lochwinnoch later that morning.

Inglis drove across the street and mounted the pavement, initially knocking Miss Boyer against a wall.

The car then hit Mr Barber, launching him into the garden of a nearby house.

Inglis' vehicle went on to smash into a wall and lamp-post, causing it to roll on its side.

A terrified Miss Boyer had to scramble clear to avoid being crushed by the car.

Prosecutor Duncan McPhie said Inglis got up and stormed over to Mr Barber.

Mr McPhie added: “He lifted a brick from the garden wall, then proceeded to stand over Mr Barber and strike him repeatedly to the head.

“He was shouting: 'I am going to f***ing kill you. You are a f***ing dead man.”

Inglis then chomped down on Mr Barber's ear before escaping.

He later called someone to admit: “I've done something. I've knocked him down and the car is on its roof.”

Inglis went on to dial 999 and confessed he had “run over” the couple and “bashed in” Mr Barber's head.

He was later held by police after needing medical treatment for a broken foot.

Mr McPhie said: “He stated that he had felt let down by the Crown due to a previous experience he had with court proceedings, including after being the victim of a serious assault in February 2016.”

Mr Barber suffered a left ear bite, two wounds to his head and needed an operation to remove glass from his finger.

The court was told he will be permanently scarred and continues to have a limp, as well as “ongoing tendon damage” in his left hand.

Miss Boyer only suffered cuts and bruises.

Judge Lord Boyd deferred sentencing for reports.