Love triangle dad wants to put things right

A middle-aged dad at the centre of a bizarre love triangle which landed him in court says he wants to rebuild his relationship with the son he tried to run over.

Tauranga man James Bowring was found guilty two weeks ago of recklessly operating a motor vehicle, assault with a blunt instrument, and driving while disqualified, after veering off a road, mounting a grass verge and forcing 18-year-old Jacob Bowring to take cover behind a lamppost.

The court heard Bowring senior had done a u-turn after he dropped off a 14-year-old girl and had driven back towards his son at 40-50 kmh.

He admitted mounting the kerb and aiming the vehicle at Jacob, claiming he was "pretty upset" being calling a "paedophile" and being told he belonged in a "mental home".

But last night, the 45-year-old beneficiary - who is bipolar - spoke for the first time about the events that led to his conviction and revealed he wanted to heal the wounds with Jacob.

The feud between father and son erupted when James started seeing Jacob's girlfriend of two years, Krystal Clark, 18.

The odd couple, who live in Bowring senior's house-bus on family land at Te Puna, were now expecting a baby and said they planned to marry.

But James was desperate for a reconciliation with his boy.

"I love him and miss him. I wish we could all just get on," he told Sunday News.

"But up until now Jacob has said he will only visit me if Krystal is not here but that's not okay with me.

"Krystal is the best thing that has ever happened to me. We're in love, it's as simple as that, and it's awesome."

James - who claimed to have fathered at least five children - was to return to the Tauranga District Court for sentencing on February 26. He said he lived in fear of going to jail.

He had been to prison for various offences and talked of a "life of misery" featuring sexual abuse as a child, broken relationships, work as a male prostitute and a six-month sexual relationship with a younger sibling.

"I can't cope with the thought of going to prison again, I don't like being around people. If I end up there I will probably kill myself," James said.

"I need to be at home with my girl and our new baby."

He said he took medication to regulate his depression and bipolar disorder.

James admitted he had "a few other kids around the country ... but I never stayed with the mothers, I was only really a sperm donor. I was spreading the love around."

He said marriage was now on the cards with Krystal, who was 14 weeks pregnant, and the pair wanted to have "as many kids as we can afford to care for.

"There is nothing wrong with us. We are both legal age, it is just one of those things these days. There is nothing untoward about it," he added.

"When you fall in love with someone, all the rest of the hang-ups just seem to go away."

The couple spent their days watching TV and DVDs on the house-bus, which had a long-drop toilet outside their bedroom window.

Krystal said her relationship with Bowring was "long-term" and her sex life could not be better.

"Younger men are immature and all about 'gimme, gimme, gimme', but with older lovers it is about sharing and they are happy to give and receive," she told Sunday News.

"James and I are so stable in our relationship and even when we have rows, we just talk things through."

She also hoped James and Jacob could build bridges.

"Jacob does have his good points. He can be caring and can use his head sometimes to be really helpful," she said.

But for now, Jacob did not want to have anything to do with his dad or his former girlfriend.

"I don't care. The worst thing about it all is that now he can't fix my cars," Jacob told Sunday News.

"I don't want anything to do with him."

Jacob, a tyre-fitter, said he was unable to talk in detail because of a deal he had with a women's magazine.

"I've sold my story to get me into a flat, so that's good. The whole thing is a mess. My dad has gone nuts."

- © Fairfax NZ News