A ROAD-rage driver left a father lying injured in the road after he deliberately slammed on his brakes in front of a motorbike.

Kenneth O’Neill was sent flying into his handlebars after Lee Hale performed the “dangerous” manoeuvre.

As Mr O’Neil lay in the road injured, Hale bombarded him with abuse before getting in his car and fleeing the scene.

Appearing at Southampton Crown Court on Wednesday, Hale’s actions were branded as “deliberate and dangerous” by prosecutor Martyn Booth.

The court was told how Hale was driving his grandmother’s Mercedes A180 on Brownhill Way, Southampton, when the incident took place.

Mr Booth said the 22-year-old began arguing with a biker as the two vehicles travelled in the direction of Lordshill on June 10.

He said the Mercedes was seen to cross onto the wrong side of the road and drive alongside the bike.

Hale and his passenger were both seen to “gesticulate” an obscene gesture towards the biker, with witnesses saying the Mercedes then overtook the motorbike before Hale slammed on the brakes and caused a crash.

Mr Booth said: “The car then stopped, but rather than be of assistance to the injured person, the driver and passenger were really rather unpleasant to the motorbike rider.

“They were very unpleasant, aggressive and threatening towards Mr O’Neill, who was unconscious, if not close to it.”

Mr Booth said Hale and his friend returned to the Mercedes and left the scene without reporting it to the police.

Witnesses rushed to aid of Mr O’Neill, and although he was not taken to hospital, Mr Booth said Mr O’Neill had been left in “considerable pain”.

He also said Mr O’Neil had suffered psychologically and was now “nervous” when using the road.

Jamie Gammon, representing Hale, said his client still denied causing the crash deliberately – having been found guilty in the magistrates’ court of both dangerous driving and failing to stop after a crash.

Mr Gammon said Hale had slowed down on the approach to a 30mph speed limit and had given the rider “plenty of room” to brake.

The court heard that during a previous court hearing Hale pleaded guilty to an offence of ABH for stamping on a man’s head during a fight at the Malvern Pub in Shirley, for which he was given a 12-month sentence, suspended for two years. But Mr Gammon said Hale had also been given a yearlong curfew, which he described as “draconian”.

He urged Judge Gary Burrell not to send Hale to prison and to let him continue his progress on his current suspended sentence order.

Judge Burrell sentenced Hale to 15 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, for dangerous driving and a six-month concurrent sentence for failing to stop.

Judge Burrell said: “The long of short of it is you become angry on the road – some would call it road rage.

“You got angry and you decided to do something about it and you drove in a very aggressive and dangerous way.”

Hale, of Outer Circle, Coxford, was also disqualified for 18 months and ordered to pay court costs of £500 and compensation to his victim of £200.