The moment a road rage motorist who smashed a cyclist onto his bonnet had to be pulled from his car by police is captured on shocking video.
On July 18, 2020, Ahmed Al-Rawi, 55, was apprehended after repeatedly ramming into the victim while driving in Swindon, Wiltshire.
In the footage, the unidentified biker can be heard shouting “Stop!” as Al-Rawi travels two to three vehicle lengths while carrying the victim on his bonnet.
The next few seconds show Al-Rawi being dragged from his Nissan Primera by police before being taken into custody there and then.
He entered a not guilty plea to one count of reckless driving, but a jury found him guilty in June after just under four hours of deliberation.
Al-Rawi was instead granted a 12-month sentence with an 18-month suspension, sparing him from going to jail.
He must retake his driving test and must also pay the victim £500 in compensation.
He is also prohibited from driving for a year.
The culprit, a former citizen of Iraq, has claimed that the torture he underwent there is the cause of his post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Although the offence “certainly transcends the prison standard,” according to Judge Richard Parkes QC, Al-Rawi posed “absolutely no danger to the public.”
Al-Rawi originally clipped the victim on Wood Street, and the two then became “enthralled” in a verbal argument, according to testimony given at the trial in June at Winchester Crown Court.
Although Al-Rawi threw the victim’s electric bike out of the way of his automobile, the victim stayed in front of it to prevent Al-Rawi from going any further.
Despite this, he started to drive, ramming the bicycle under his car and continuing for many car lengths along Devizes Road without stopping.
‘The defendant, in my opinion, kicked or flung the bike out of the way, and [the victim] stayed in the street in front of the bonnet,’ said prosecutor Leigh Hart.
The victim was carried on the bonnet for roughly three vehicle lengths as the defendant drove away after exchanging a few verbal blows.
Officers intervened, the defendant was stopped, and he was taken into custody despite his denials that his driving was risky.
She stated that Al-Rawi had broken the victim’s electric bike before throwing it away.
Al-Rawi was able to flee Iraq, arrived in the UK, and requested asylum, according to defence attorney Gareth James, who testified in court.
According to the court, the jury was likely to have “rejected” Al-allegation Rawi’s that he had left the cyclist “enough of space.”
Driving at someone is always risky, and continuing after he hits your bonnet is obviously risky and may have seriously injured the victim, the man continued. It is obvious that this offence merits incarceration.
The prison sentence was put on hold by the judge.