Driver admits road rage killing

Mr Cooke was due to travel to Ghana to help build a children's hospital

A man has admitted the manslaughter of a fellow motorist after he "lost control" in a road rage incident.

Graham Cahill, 44, of Hawthorne Drive, Harrow, north London, confronted Toby Cooke, from Luton, after a minor collision on the M1 in May 2008.

The Old Bailey heard Cahill punched Mr Cooke once, causing him to fall.

The 25-year-old died from injuries caused by his head striking the ground. Cahill will be sentenced on 16 April at Luton Crown Court.

'One forceful blow'

The Old Bailey heard Cahill pulled onto the hard shoulder of the M1 to confront Mr Cooke over his driving.

Mr Cooke rang 999 to report the incident, but Cahill became angry, believing that he was acting in a "cocky" way.

As he grew increasingly agitated, Mr Cooke urged the emergency operator to "send someone out" believing Cahill was about to hit him.

Graham Cahill was granted bail pending a report ahead of sentencing

Mr Cooke was heard urging Cahill to calm down, saying "nothing to worry about, nothing to worry about", before the sound of an apparent confrontation, the court heard.

Ann Cotcher QC, prosecuting, said: "Mr Cahill threw one forceful blow, delivered in anger and not in self-defence."

The incident happened between junctions 11 and 12 on the northbound carriageway of the M1 on 26 May.

'Appalling consequences'

Cahill, a network management worker, later told police that Mr Cooke, a fork-lift truck driver, had undertaken him and caused a minor collision between them.

The court heard he told police: "His bad driving on the motorway and on the hard shoulder and demeanour when he called the police, and his attitude generally, all caused me to lose my self control."

This case is a tragedy on all sides Judge John Bevan

Judge John Bevan warned that a custodial sentence was "inevitable", but said he had in mind a term of between two-and-a-half and four-and-a-half years.

The court heard how Cahill had dragged his victim to the side of the road and pleaded with passers-by for help after seeing what he had done and the judge accepted he had shown genuine remorse.

"This case is a tragedy on all sides," Judge Bevan said.

"I am confronted with the prospect of having to sentence a perfectly respectable citizen who has committed an act which has had simply appalling consequences."