A PENSIONER from Crewe who caused a cyclist to fall and break his hip in a road rage incident has escaped being sent to jail.

Arthur Ashley, 71, overtook two cars as he pursued Lee Henshaw off the road onto a bridleway near the Sydney Arms pub on Sydney Road.

His victim fell off his bike and later needed to undergo hip replacement surgery such was the severity of his injury.

At a previous hearing at South Cheshire Magistrates' Court, Ashley was said to have emerged from his black Audi and shouted "you got what you f...ing deserved, look at my wing mirror" at the stricken cyclist.

Ashley appeared for sentencing at Chester Crown Court yesterday (Thursday) where he was handed a 16-month custodial sentence suspended for two years.

He was also banned from driving for two years and ordered to complete an extended retest to secure his licence again.

The bridleway on which Mr Henshaw fell is a route that only pedestrians and cyclists are permitted to use.

While a witness to the incident said he didn't see Ashley's vehicle make contact with Mr Henshaw on the path, he said he had to intervene as the defendant was behaving aggressively towards the fallen cyclist.

Ashley claimed his wing mirror had been bent back by the cyclist before the incident escalated.

But the cyclist said that as he rode towards the Cross Keys roundabout on Remer Street he had to brake to prevent a collision with Ashley's vehicle.

He said he was verbally abused and rode off to avoid confrontation, but as he got to the bridge on Sydney Road he spotted the Audi reappear and overtake a BMW before he heard a noise of "revving behind him".

Afterwards he said he was approached by the defendant who told him "this is what you deserve".

Ashley, 71, of Buxton Avenue, Crewe admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving on May 5 last year.

At the hearing in the lower court, Ashley's solicitor, Tim Edgeley, said the defendant had accepted he had caused serious injury, but had been "so aggrieved" by the "altercation".