Road rage lorry driver who punched a man to the floor then continued attack spared jail because 'prisons are full'
12 January 2023, 18:24 | Updated: 12 January 2023, 21:11
A lorry driver who punched another motorist in a road rage incident and continued attacking him while he was on the ground has been spared jail by a judge because the 'prisons were full'.
Fabian Greco was behind the wheel of his lorry on the Darenth Interchange in Dartford, when he nearly collided with another HGV driver.
After, the other lorry driver, William Harrington, followed Greco to his yard and got out of his vehicle to confront him
He pushed Greco, who retaliated, punching him to floor.
Greco continuing to punch and kick him Mr Harrington while he was on the ground.
Others came to help Mr Harrington and brought an end to the attack, which was captured on CCTV.
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Greco was arrested and later charged with assault by beating and admitted the offence when he appeared at Medway Magistrates' Court on January 5.
The court heard the incident took place on May 24.
Judge Stephen Leake decided to jail Greco for 18 weeks for the offence, but told him we was suspending the sentence for 24 months because it was his first offence and the prisons were full.
He said: "Road rage is taken very seriously by the courts, but at the same time I note you have no previous convictions and there was no trial as you pleaded guilty, which meant the victim did not have to give evidence."
The prison sentence was suspended partly because of guidance saying that courts should consider if a jail term is unavoidable if there is crowding in prisons.
It was also suspended because of the defendant's previous good character, admission of guilty, remorse, and a probation service report saying he could be safely managed in the community, the Judicial Office said
Greco, of Ruby Tuesday Drive, Dartford, was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and eight rehabilitation sessions.
He has to pay the victim £1,500 in compensation, as well as a victim surcharge of £128 and £85 court costs.
