Man jailed over road rage attack

A 21-year-old man has been jailed for four years after attacking a motorist with a hammer in a road rage incident.

Adam Cook was said to have acted completely out of character on 22 July last year when the incident happened.

His victim, Nicholas Maune, suffered a cut to his head and Luton Crown Court heard how he kept reliving the attack.

Judge Laura Harris said Cook, of Ventnor Gardens, Luton, had got "wound up out of all proportion" and said it was "an extremely serious offence".

Cook had pleaded not guilty to wounding with intent but was convicted by a jury on a majority verdict of 10 to two last month.

Mr Maune suffered a 0.6in (1.5cm) cut in the attack.

Judge Harris said: "You may not have regarded the other man's driving was of the best but you got wound up out of all proportion.

"You know by now that this is an extremely serious offence. People driving on the road minding their own business should not be subjected to serious assaults."

Blacked-out windows

In the trial, prosecutor Claudette Elliott said Mr Maune had been driving home from Leighton Buzzard in a black Mazda MX5 convertible with the roof down.

At about 2300 BST he overtook Cook's Citreon Saxo, which had blacked-out windows, in the Toddington Road area of Luton.

Cook then tailgated him with his headlights on full beam, overtook the Mazda and then slammed on his brakes causing the other car to stop.

Mr Maune told the court: "He got out of the car straight away, shouting and screaming and I clocked the hammer in his hand.

"I got out of the car and the next thing I knew he had hit me on the side of the head with the hammer and blood was falling across my face."

Robert English, defending Cook, said: "His case was he was acting in self-defence. He is someone who would normally seek to avoid violence.

"What happened that evening was completely out of character - a complete aberration."