A JUDGE has rejected a man’s claim that he charged out of his home, waving a 10-inch kitchen knife at bailiffs, because he wanted to cut a clamp off his dau-ghter’s car.

Bailiffs had arrived at the Helmshore home of Nofar Ali to repossess a car over an unpaid Rossendale council tax debt.

But when the car was driven away, recovery agent Jodie Shaw placed a clamp on a Vauxhall Zafira belong-ing to one of Ali’s daughters.

Ali went back into his Jubilee Close property and returned waving a 10-inch kitchen knife, with his daughters hanging off his arms, begging him to put the weapon down, Burnley Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor David Macro said Miss Shaw and a coll-eague, Doug Glentworth, locked themselves inside their van while a mob form-ed outside the vehicle. Giving evidence, Miss Shaw said: “I was just thankful that we were in the van because if we hadn’t been I would have feared for my life.”

She said Ali, who remain-ed shouting abuse outside the vehicle, was “foaming at the mouth he was so angry”.

One of Ali’s neighbours was also said to have driven his off-road vehicle towards the bailiff’s van, only brak-ing at the last moment before impact.

The bailiffs eventually managed to drive away but noticed that Ali followed them down the road in a second car for around 100 yards.

The court heard that the agents had been trying to recover unpaid council tax debts from a woman called Fatima Bibby, who was traced to Ali’s home.

His barrister Michael Marr claimed the bailiffs had been acting illegally by trying to impound the Zafira.

Ali, 47, also insisted he had grabbed the knife in a bid to remove the clamp.

He admitted using threatening behaviour but denied intending to use the knife to frighten the bailiffs.

But Judge Heather Lloyd, after hearing evidence from both sides, rejected the defendant’s account and he was convicted.

The judge remanded him on bail for sentence to Preston Crown Court next month.