An elderly driver faces jail after he ran down a 17-year-old cyclist with his 4x4 before punching him in the face.
Michael Hanley, 69, from Greater Manchester, became enraged when the teenage victim legally filtered through traffic at temporary lights and stopped in front of the driver.
Hanley used his Jeep Cherokee to knock the boy off his £2,5000 mountain bike in the incident, which happened in Bury on October 15 last year, The Guardian newspaper reports.
When the temporary traffic lights turned green, Hanley tailgated the young rider while beeping his horn and flashing his lights before the victim was sent tumbling to the floor as he tried to turn onto a dirt track. Hanley then clipped the boy’s shin with the 4x4 as he tried to pass.
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The attacker then got out of his car, saying “little s*** - you’ve done this” the court heard, before Hanley grabbed the teenager’s shirt and punched him in the face, then smashing his own wing mirror during the road rage incident.
Hanley was found guilty of dangerous driving and common assault after a trial at Manchester Magistrates’ Court.
The driver lied to police and had claimed the youngster had hit a pothole, the court heard, but he was contradicted by an eye-witness.
Hanley was granted bail and will return to court later this month to be sentenced.
Earlier this week, a BMW driver was jailed for 20 months after a horrific hit and run in London.
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Sean Fagan, 29, lost control of his car and swerved onto the wrong side of the road on Easter Sunday (April 21), hitting cyclist Josh Dey head on.
Medical student Mr Dey was left with brain injuries and a number of fractures as Fagan fled the scene of the crash, which happened in Swain’s Lane in London.
