Driver banned for “using his vehicle like a weapon” to force cyclist into wall

A driver who “used his vehicle like a weapon” to force a cyclist off the road in West Sussex, causing injuries to his hand, has been banned from driving for six months.

The rider, Howard Crompton, uploaded footage of the incident after the motorist, who also received seven points on his licence and was fined a total of £690, was convicted of careless driving.

The incident happened in May as Mr Crompton was finishing a ride in Angmering, near Worthing.

A couple of minutes after the driver of a black Mercedes 4x4 had attempted a failed overtake, he caught up with the cyclist on a short hill.

With his horn blaring as he approached the cyclist from behind, the driver cut across him, forcing him into a wall and drove off without stopping.

Mr Crompton, who captured front- and rear-facing footage of the incident, told road.cc that initially he felt “gobsmacked” at his experience which left him “shaken.”

He said: “I was gobsmacked it happened at first within the first few minutes.

“Once I was home and I had the call to 999 I was left shaken.

“I was really upset by it as I thought about it. If the wall/bush wasn't there then who knows where I would have ended up.

“My right hand was trapped on my handlebars by the passenger side so I had bruising on my hands for a few days.

“It really bothered me and still does as i never knew if I'd see him again driving around,” he added.