A DANGEROUS driver with anger management issues who pulled out in front of another motorist before braking hard will have to sell his car to pay off his fine and sit an extended driving test.

The incident on the M42 was captured on a dash cam video which was played before judge Daniel Pearce-Higgins QC at Worcester Crown Court on Tuesday.

Jonathan Lea, aged 38, of Mayfair Avenue, Bowring Park, Liverpool, admitted dangerous driving.

The footage, recorded by a Mercedes dash cam, shows Lea, who was driving a Volvo, in lane three. Lea’s Volvo pulls level with a red transit van in lane two and then begins to move into the same lane as the van before he pulls back sharply into lane three.

Lea can then be seen to accelerate in lane three before pulling into lane two in front of the van and applying the brakes. The van driver is forced to brake before pulling into the hard shoulder as Lea drives away in the Volvo.

Michael Conry, prosecuting, said the transit van driver stopped to talk to the driver of the Mercedes and the police had been contacted and the footage supplied.

Charles Crinion, defending, said: “Mr Lea understands this is a very serious matter and thankfully he made admissions in interview. I would ask for full credit. One month after this offence he was sentenced for a similar offence.”

Lea is set to begin the Resolve programme on February 5 to help address his anger management. In an interview with a probation officer Lea said he suffered from anxiety and this contributed to his anger, saying that the incident on the M42 began when the other driver pulled out in front of him and made a gesture at him.

Judge Daniel Pearce-Higgins QC said: “This is not the first time you have been in control of a car and acted dangerously. It is a weapon. You have to be careful if you’re going to drive.”

The judge sentenced Lea to a community order for 12 months and ordered him to complete 120 hours of unpaid work. He fined him £500 and ordered him to pay a further £500 costs.

He banned Lea from driving for two years and ordered him to complete an extended driving retest at the end of the disqualification if he wants to drive again.

He said: “You’re going to sell the car. From the proceeds of that you will be able to pay those two sums.”