Road rage thug jailed for a year

Gary Steven, 33, was left virtually wheelchair-bound after being knocked him down as he waited to pick up his children from school.

He has lost his job as a £25,000 a year sprinkler engineer and has to live on £52 a week sickness benefits.

After a trial last month Brian Southgate, 52, of Daffodil Close, Haslingden, was cleared of attempting to murder Mr Steven but was convicted of dangerous driving.

After the jury's verdict it was revealed that Southgate, a lorry driver for 30 years, was a road-rage thug who, in 1984, punched a motorist after his lorry was involved in a collision with the victim's car during a bust-up on the M6 motorway.

Thirteen years earlier, he was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm by throwing ammonia in a teenager's face and in 1987 he was fined for assaulting another teenager.

Mr Steven was at Manchester Crown Court with his partner, Andrea, yesterday when Southgate was told by Mr Justice Penry-Davey his driving fell "far below" the standard expected of an HGV driver.

"It is clear you were in a hurry and that you were angry at the outset," said the judge.

"You moved off at a time when it should have been obvious there was a risk of colliding with him.

"As a consequence of your dangerous driving, permanent and severely disabling injuries have been caused to Mr Steven.

"There is no doubt of the very serious impact this has had on him and his family."

One day last April, Southgate was driving his 15 ton truck near Heap Bridge Primary School, Heywood, when he was forced to stop because another lorry was approaching.

They could not pass each other because of parents parked outside the school waiting to pick up their children and that led to a roadside row.

At one point, the court heard Southgate gave a woman a one-fingered salute, and Mr Steven, who was waiting to pick up his three children approached his cab to talk to him.

Shortly afterwards, the victim turned to walk back to his own car and Southgate set off almost immediately and hit him causing catastrophic injuries.

Mr Steven's pelvis and hip joint were smashed "like an eggshell." He spent nine weeks in hospital having major surgery but has been left with one foot shorter than the other.

Southgate had always denied deliberately hitting Mr Steven and said he was "mortified" when he realised the truck had caught him.

He said he "presumed" he had got back to his car before he started to move off.

Southgate, who has now lost his one-man driving business, was jailed for 12 months and banned from driving for five years and ordered to take an extended test.