A motorist left another driver bedbound for a month after ploughing his car into him in an inexplicable road-rage attack.

A court heard Nick Richards suffered fractures to his spine when he was struck by Jack Cox's Ford Focus just seconds after he had waved him through a row of parked vehicles in Pine Tree Avenue, Canterbury.

Despite Mr Richards giving the 29-year-old a thumbs-up sign as he passed by, a "red mist descended" on Cox, who responded to the polite gesture by shouting and raising his middle finger before turning his vehicle around and driving back at speed.

Mr Richards, who had stepped out of his Range Rover after being subjected to Cox's abuse, had no chance to avoid the oncoming Focus.

Having been thrown on impact into the air and onto the windscreen, he then hit his own car before landing on the ground, where members of the public came to his aid.

Although Canterbury Crown Court heard Mr Richards mercifully did not need surgery, he spent eight days in hospital and was then bed-bound for a month and immobile for a further 10 weeks. He also had to wear a lumbar brace for six weeks.

Following the incident on May 29, 2022, dad-of-three Cox drove off but headed to the Royal Oak pub in Blean Common, Blean, where he dialled 999 and later told officers the incident was "a total accident".

In September last year, Cox went on trial accused of inflicting grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent to Mr Richards.

The prosecution alleged he had deliberately driven at the victim, using his car as a "highly dangerous" weapon and intending to cause really serious injury.

However, he was cleared by the jury of that offence, which carries a maximum life sentence, and found guilty of the less serious one of inflicting GBH.

At his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, April 1, prosecutor Nathalie Carter said that having been greeted by an abusive Cox, Mr Richards had got out of his car "to find out what the situation was".

But when the Focus pulled away, he began to return to his Range Rover. Mr Richards then noticed Cox was heading back towards him.

"He felt he was driving at a bit of a speed, or in a bit of a hurry, as he described it," said Ms Carter.

"He was standing in the road and it took five to 10 seconds for the defendant's car to reach him.

"He drove straight at Mr Richards and did not swerve. Mr Richards tried to take evasive action but couldn't and was hit into the air.

"He smashed onto the windscreen before falling off, hitting his own car and landing on the ground."

The Focus was later described as revving loudly, with its wheels spinning as it had approached.

The court heard that as a result of his injuries, Mr Richards suffers from ongoing back pain as well as psychological distress, and has had to curtail his regular gym activities.

Cox, who lives in Blean Common and runs a newly established waste collection business, has three previous convictions, including one for an assault committed in April 2020.

But his lawyer, Kieran Brand, argued that the court was now faced with "a very different person" to the one that resorted to offending behaviour, and that a prison sentence would have a harmful impact on his partner, for whom he is her registered carer, and their children.

"What you have is Jack Cox in 2025, a hard-working family man with significant caring responsibilities," he explained.

"Give him the opportunity to prove to the court he is able to remain out of trouble and that brief period in 2022 was a blip - a serious blip, yes - but now firmly behind him."

On that fateful day, Mr Richards had the misfortune of meeting you driving along the same road from the opposite direction...

He also said that it was "overwhelmingly likely" that the jury, by its verdict, had decided that the defendant had driven "in the direction" of Mr Richards and was "reckless" as to whether his car would collide with him.

"It was impulsive, spontaneous and short-lived," added Mr Brand.

Passing sentence, Judge Alison Russell said Cox was "lucky" not to be facing a more serious charge and that he himself, as he later commented after fleeing the scene, feared he may have killed someone.

But although she warned a vehicle could be “a deadly weapon in the wrong hands”, she added she accepted it was more of an impulsive assault than a premeditated one.

"On that fateful day, Mr Richards had the misfortune of meeting you driving along the same road from the opposite direction,” she told Cox.

"There wasn't enough space for you both to proceed so Mr Richards waved you through, putting up his thumb to acknowledge your right of way.

"Despite this courteous gesture and for no good reason that I can discern, you responded by sticking up your middle finger and shouting abuse at Mr Richards as you passed.

"Not satisfied with that, you decided to stop your car around 10ft behind his. He got out to see what was wrong.

"Rather than speak to him or engage in a responsible, mature way, you instead drove away at speed.

"Mr Richards returned to this car and that might well have been the end of things - an unpleasant incident but nobody harmed."

However, she said Cox decided "in a moment of madness" to turn around in a side street and then drive at his victim.

"A motor vehicle in the wrong hands can be a deadly weapon. You drove towards him and he heard wheels spinning," continued the judge.

"Another witness described the sound of loud revving of a car engine with a large amount of smoke from the exhaust.

"Mr Richards had not yet got into his car as you drove your vehicle straight towards him. Fearing that he may be struck he tried to jump out of the way but your vehicle hit him.

"For whatever reason unknown to us, some sort of red mist descended that day."

But in deciding he could be spared immediate jail, the judge said it was "right and proper" that the court took the impact of a custodial sentence on his children into account.

She also highlighted the conclusion of a pre-sentence report prepared by the probation service that although Cox was in "urgent" need of support for his own mental health and anger issues, he was considered a low risk of reoffending.

On imposing a 20-month jail term suspended for 18 months, with 30 rehabilitation activity requirements and 225 hours of unpaid work, Judge Russell explained: "I consider it is appropriate to suspend your sentence because there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation and you are a more mature and different man to the idiot who drove his car so recklessly that day.

"You have benefited from the input of probation during the period of your previous suspended sentence order (for the assault offence) and I am satisfied society is better protected by addressing and resolving your anger issues rather than imprisonment."

But she warned Cox, who appeared emotional in the dock: "Mr Cox, you are getting one chance - one chance to show you can be a valuable member of society, businessman and father, rather than a threat to society and a menace to those on the road."

Despite being told that he needed to keep his driving licence to run his business, Judge Russell exercised a discretionary power to issue a ban and disqualified him for six months.

She also ordered that he pay £1,000 court costs at £100 a month.