A DRIVER was left so terrified after he was threatened in a knife-wielding road rage confrontation that he was thinking of leaving the country, a court heard.

Lorry driver Naeem Shah opened the victim’s car door and swung the large knife at him because he thought he had overtaken him dangerously.

Shah, 56, of Beckside Road, Lidget Green, Bradford, pleaded guilty on the day of his trial to affray and threatening with an offensive weapon in a public place.

He was today sentenced at Bradford Crown Court by Deputy Circuit Judge Timothy Clayson who said it was ‘almost a miracle’ that his victim wasn’t injured by him swinging the knife around while he was trapped in the driving seat.

The court heard that the incident happened on the A629 Keighley Road in Skipton on October 5 last year.

Shah thought the other driver had overtaken his wagon dangerously in his Suzuki 4x4 so he approached the vehicle with a large knife and swung it around.

But the incident was captured on his own dashcam equipment which showed him leaving his lorry to confront the motorist after the traffic stopped at a roundabout.

Prosecutor Ashleigh Metcalfe said Shah had been ‘tailgating’ his victim before the confrontation.

“He opened the driver’s door and piled his way into the driver’s side of the car with the upper part of his body,” she said.

Shah was armed with a large blade which another lorry driver described as ‘a butcher’s knife.’ Miss Metcalfe said he was swinging it around as the driver, who was still strapped in, tried desperately to get across to the passenger seat. Shah then walked back to his lorry still holding the knife.

His victim said in a statement read out in court that the incident had terrified him so much that he was thinking of leaving the country. He was left with stress and anxiety and had not slept for months afterwards.

He suffered with nightmares and flashbacks after the totally unprovoked attack.

The court heard that Shah had ten previous convictions for 16 offences, including assault occasioning actual bodily harm, battery and dangerous driving but nothing recent.

His barrister, Ken Green, said he accepted he had a large knife and not a ruler as he had originally asserted.

Shah was a hard working long distance lorry driver. He supported his family who were dependent financially on him.

Mr Green said character references spoke very highly of him. He had stayed out of trouble since and had kept his job because he was so well thought of by his employers.

He was very remorseful and had volunteered to write to the victim, or even to meet him, to apologise.

Judge Clayson said Shah ordinarily had a positive life, working hard and bringing up his family.

He sentenced him to 21 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, with 100 hours of unpaid work and up to 18 rehabilitation activity requirement days.