A LORRY driver who knocked down a young dad, leaving him virtually wheelchair-bound, was revealed to have carried out an earlier road rage attack.

Brian Southgate, of Daffodil Close, Haslingden, was convicted of dangerous driving by a jury at Manchester Crown Court.

Southgate, 52, had earlier been cleared of deliberately mowing down father-of-three Gary Steven as he waited to pick up his children from primary school.

The jury had taken 80 minutes to clear him of offences of attempting to murder Mr Steven and causing him grievous bodily harm outside Heap Bridge Primary School, Heywood, one afternoon last April.

The crown had alleged he deliberately drove at Mr Steven when a row about cars being parked on either side of the road exploded into violence

Mr Steven later spent nine weeks in hospital and needed reconstructive surgery but has been left with one leg one-and-a half inches shorter than the other.

But Southgate said he was "mortified" when he realised he had hit Mr Steven with his 15-ton truck. He claimed he was trying to get away from the scene after a row with Mr Steven and presumed he had got back in his car before he started to move his lorry.

After his conviction for dangerous driving, jurors then heard about his violent past, which included another road rage attack.

In February 1971, Southgate was given a supervision order after being convicted of causing grievous bodily harm to a teenager when he threw ammonia in his face during a row outside a mill.

Thirteen years later he was conditionally discharged after punching a motorist in the face after his lorry was involved in a collision with the victim's car during a bust-up on the M6 motorway. Then in 1987 Southgate was fined when he assaulted another teenager before being detained by the 17-year-old's father.

Mr Justice Penry-Davey adjourned sentence for reports to be prepared but banned Southgate from driving and warned him: "It may well be in this case that the only course which is appropriate is a sentence of imprisonment."