An 82-year-old man accused of attacking parked cars because he believed the owners were Moslems today denied the allegations.

John Hodson is alleged to have caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to the cars in Birkenhead during a two-week campaign.

Hodson, who walks with a stick, pleaded not guilty to 12 offences of religiously aggravated damage motivated by hostility to Moslems based on the victims' presumed membership of that religious group.

Hodson, who is also hard of hearing and needed to use the loop system to follow proceedings at Liverpool Crown Court, also denied seven alternative charges of criminal damage.

The cars belonging to the victims, who included two solicitors, were allegedly attacked by Hodson with a sharpened screwdriver while they were parked in Whetstone Lane.

The court heard that the incidents took place on six different days in March this year and one of the ten victims had her car targeted on three separate occasions.

Hodson, of Cedar Street, Birkenhead, was remanded on bail to await his trial beginning on November 9.