A bus driver has pleaded guilty after being caught on CCTV deliberately veering into a cyclist and knocking him from his bike.
Gavin Hill had a heated exchange with cyclist and father-of-two Philip Mead during which the latter was said to have pulled at the bus windscreen wipers before continuing his journey.
The bus can then be seen overtaking the cyclist before suddenly veering to the left and sending Mead flying off his bike. He fractured his left wrist and leg, which required metal plating, and also broke his thumb.
Sentencing Hill, Judge Mark Horton said: “This was not an accident. It was an assault. Deliberate and dangerous driving. You used that vehicle as a weapon to bully and intimidate the cyclist who, in the end, was struck by that bus.”
Hill was sentenced to two and half years in prison after pleading guilty to dangerous driving and causing grievous bodily harm. He has been dismissed by Bugler Coaches, for whom he worked.
The entire indicent, which took place outside Bristol Magistrates Court just off St James Barton roundabout, was caught on CCTV and was instrumental in Hill’s sentencing, showing clearly the ferocity with which he hit the cyclist.
Hill himself described the incident as “a moment of madness”.