An engineer who got stuck in traffic because of Just Stop Oil protesters flew into a rage and smashed up an Asda lorry with a crowbar.

Sidney Smith had been working in Rochester all night when he got in his Volkswagen Golf to drive to his home in Essex.

He got frustrated while waiting in heavy traffic in the Dartford area because two people had scaled the Queen Elizabeth II bridge.

The 25-year-old had been stuck in queues for hours while on his way home to Brentwood, but as he got to Crossways Boulevard, Dartford, he undertook an Asda lorry and clipped the vehicle.

He got out of his car and put his fists up to the lorry driver. He started shouting at him before ripping off the number plate and windscreen wiper.

He returned to his car and was now in front of the lorry on the carriageway. He started driving dangerously by repeatedly braking sharply in front of the lorry until it collided with his car.

It was at this point Smith produced a crowbar from his boot and started striking the driver’s door with it, causing £8,103.25, of damage to the lorry.

Smith, of Lower Dunton Road, Brentwood, was later charged with dangerous driving and criminal damage and admitted both offences when he appeared in the dock at Maidstone Magistrates’ Court on March 4.

Richard Lamb, prosecuting, said: “He was in lane two and decided to undertake the lorry and bibbed at it, but his front off-side collided with the HGV.

“He (Smith) then opened his car door and put his fist up and was pointing at the driver’s door and shouting to the driver to get out as he had hit him.

“He then ripped off the number plate and a windscreen wiper before getting back in his car.”

Magistrates were also told Smith had then managed to get in front of the lorry but then started braking suddenly until the lorry impacted his vehicle again.

Mr Lamb added: “He then got back out of his car and walked to the lorry and hammered his fists on it.

“He went to the boot of his vehicle and got a red bar out and started striking the driver’s door with it, he did that four times and was shouting and was angry.

“The lorry driver thought the window would break and he was shouting and pacing about with the bar. He then got in his vehicle again and sped off.”

The court also heard the incident, which happened on October 18, 2022, was caught on dash cam footage and Smith was invited for a voluntary interview over the matter almost a year later in September 2023, and was later charged.

The prosecutor added: “He has a previous conviction for dangerous driving in 2016 and was given a suspended sentence.

“There was a lot of damage to the lorry but the insurance has dealt with that. I will be asking for £800 compensation.”

Andrew Thompson, defending, said his client’s last dangerous driving was a high speed incident and not the same as the new offence.

He added: “He’s ashamed and has written a letter of apology.”

A probation officer who had interviewed Smith told magistrates he had worked a 12-hour night shift in Rochester and it had taken him three hours to get to where he was in Dartford that day as there was so much gridlock because of the protest.

He also said Smith’s account of what had happened was slightly different to the prosecution’s case and that in fact, it was the lorry that clipped his vehicle first.

An angry exchange followed as he had wanted the lorry to pull over so they could exchange details.

However, the officer also told magistrates Smith had admitted he had ‘lost it’ and accepted his behaviour was not acceptable and that he showed anger towards the lorry driver.

The bench heard the other dangrous driving offence had been a boy-racing incident when he was driving at speed on a motorway when he had been a young driver. His defence said if Smith was jailed for the new offence he would lose his job and his home, as he owns his house and business.

Mr Thompson added: “He deeply regrets what happened, he’s embarrassed and if possible would like to meet the Asda driver and shake his hand and apologise.

“He says the Asda driver wouldn’t let him in at all and there were three lanes full of traffic. It was the trigger.”

Magistrates told Smith he had put lives at risk when he did the dangerous manoeuvres and had caused a high level of damage to the lorry.

He said the offences were so serious they would be jailing him for 120 days for the offence, but told him the term would be suspended for 18 months.

He was also ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, attend 10 rehabilitation sessions and pay £500 compensation to Asda.

Smith was also banned from driving for 18 months and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £154 as well as £85 costs and was given 28 days to pay the court what he owes.