A father who dressed as Spider-Man during a crane-top protest accused police of trying to turn the public against him by closing roads.

David Chick, of The Ridgeway, Burgess Hill, blamed officers for the widespread chaos he is accused of causing in central London.

Chick, who was trying to draw attention to his battle for access rights to his daughter, told London's Southwark Crown Court it was clear the authorities were playing a psychological game.

The 37-year-old, who had earlier staged three similar protests, said he had repeatedly made it clear to specialist negotiating teams scaling his 150ft high perch that Tower Bridge could safely be reopened because he was not a danger.

He said: "Basically the police were trying to turn people against me and inconvenience the public and have them stuck in traffic jams for one to two hours. I worked out they were playing a psychological game. I was told the public might turn against me and my cause.

"I was listening to the radio. It was all about the road closures, nothing about the protest, trying to turn people against me and make me look like a reckless idiot."

The former window cleaner denies a charge of causing a public nuisance between October 31 and November 5 last year.

The Crown has branded him a "maverick" and claimed he was solely responsible for the road closures and the extensive traffic jams they caused, as well as the knock-on effects on local businesses.

Anthony Wilcken, prosecuting, insisted the police had no option but to respond in the way they did because of the potential threat to passing traffic and pedestrians.

He said it was an unacceptable risk that could not be ignored, adding: "Anything could have happened."

Chick told the court that after splitting up with his partner, he found himself embroiled in a long family court battle to gain proper access rights to his daughter.

Lack of progress prompted him to stage a series of public protests to highlight not only his predicament but also the fact it was shared by fathers all over the world.

As a result, between August 2002 and June last year he scaled cranes in Victoria, central London, Guildford, Surrey, and at a Taylor Woodrow construction site near Tower Bridge.

He spent a couple of days on each crane but was never charged.

After the third, he was convicted of harassing his former partner and "tagged" for three months. As soon as the curfew had expired he launched another high-rise protest.

He again chose the Taylor Woodrow site but this time donned a Spider-Man costume. His choice of outfit, he explained, had been influenced by an earlier Fathers4Justice vigil on top of the Royal Courts of Justice by two men dressed as Batman and Robin. He said: "I decided to follow the superhero theme."

Chick told the court he first scaled the site's 8ft perimeter fence at about 1.30am and then climbed the crane equipped with eight litres of water "so I could use the bottles", some food, a butter knife, a blanket, toothbrush and toothpaste and "my old grandad's pocket knife".

All he had wanted was to highlight his grievances peacefully. Inconveniencing the public was the last thing on his mind.

He said: "The police and the authorities chose to disrupt so many people's lives, which was totally unnecessary."

Because they had not "played fair" he had refused their entreaties.

The trial continues.