Raging Burgess Hill Road driver Arthur McGhie faces jail Brighton News

The 55-year-old saw red and headed straight for Mr. Smith, who was seen bouncing off the hood of the vehicle.

This left Mr. Smith trapped upside down in a bush before McGhie went to punch him again.

Shocking images from the incident on August 24 last year went viral after being shared on Facebook.

At Hove Crown Court, McGhie was found not guilty of attempted murder but admitted to intentionally causing grievous bodily harm, dangerous driving and assault causing bodily harm to a police officer.

He was convicted of two other offenses of assaulting rescuers.

The court heard how traffic warden manager Steven Smith came home from work in uniform at 12:15 p.m. and attempted to make way for recovery van driver McGhie.

The two got out of their cars and an argument ensued.

McGhie returned to his car, turned around, then drove straight towards Mr. Smith.

Residents of the quiet residential neighborhood heard the massive bang and the sound of shattering glass as Mr. Smith was mowed down by the silver Kia.

Prosecutor Rachel Beckett said McGhie deliberately drove towards Mr Smith before driving 100 yards to her home to park his broken vehicle.

Mr Smith turned on his lights at a crossroads near his home in Burgess Hill, West Sussex, to indicate he was letting the other driver go, the court heard.

“Mr. Smith slowed to a stop, still indicating to the accused that he could continue,” Ms. Beckett said.

“The accused was looking directly at Mr. Smith but did not move his vehicle.”

The two drivers stopped near a mini roundabout and got out of their cars.

“Mr. Smith asked if he had done something wrong,” Ms. Beckett said. The accused responded, saying that Mr. Smith was ‘sneaky’ and ‘trying to trick people’.

“He looked at the emblem on Mr. Smith’s shirt and said ‘yeah, you’re sneaky’.

“The accused reiterated that Mr. Smith was vermin and vultures that follow and stalk people.

“Mr. Smith asked if he was on drugs because he was rambling aggressively.”

There was a fight between them, partly on the sidewalk and partly on the road.

“Mr. Smith turned away from the accused because a member of the public asked him if he was okay.

“Turning around, he saw the accused rushing towards him.

“Mr. Smith was able to pull away, causing the accused to fall forward.

“The accused approached him again, but Mr. Smith raised his hand and told him to stop and not be stupid.

The case was heard at Hove Crown Court

“The accused walked away and Mr. Smith assumed that was the end of the incident,” Ms. Beckett said. “He heard a scream, which was followed by a racing car engine. He looked over his right shoulder and saw the accused’s vehicle heading towards him.

“He immediately felt his back hit the hood of the car and his head hit the windshield.

“He then felt his body hit a hedge and stood up. Mr. Smith was in the hedge of a front garden and could not move. He heard people screaming but couldn’t remember the words used. He saw the driver get off and approach him. Mr. Smith was unable to move his body.

“The accused threw a punch at his face, which Mr. Smith moved to avoid,” Ms. Beckett said.

Mr. McGhie returned to his Kia and rolled towards a post before reversing and narrowly missing another vehicle.

He drove home a short distance, parking his damaged Kia Picanto in the driveway.

Pictures show the shocking moment Mr Smith was hit by the Kia in Burgess Hill by driver Arthur McGhie

Mr. Smith sustained several injuries and blood was flowing from his head when he was able to phone his partner from the scene to tell him he had no pants on.

His shirt had been torn in the fight and his pants ripped in the collision.

Mr Smith, a senior civil law enforcement official working for Mid-Sussex District Council, suffered abrasions to his right forehead, right back scalp and front neck, tenderness in the lower cervical spine and lumbar spine, swelling, bruising and tenderness in the right wrist and forearm, abrasions on the back of the right thigh and right lower back , tenderness and swelling of the right ankle, tenderness and abrasion of the lower left part of the abdomen, and tenderness at the base of the left index finger.

Scans and x-rays did not reveal any fractured bones and he was released around 6 p.m.

Video of the August 24 incident was shared and reposted on Facebook.

A police officer who was not on duty saw the video of his friend as she approached the scene a few minutes later.

She spotted Mr. McGhie and attempted to arrest him after alerting her co-workers.

She identified herself as a police officer, the court heard, before being assaulted by Mr. McGhie.

The aftermath of the accident at Wyvern Way, Burgess Hill

A video of the arrest worn on the body was shown to the jury. It took four officers to subdue Mr. McGhie who struggled violently.

“A dog handler appeared on the sidewalk, along with four other police officers. They helped to subdue the accused so that he was then under control.

“A police van intervened to transport him into custody for an interview. The officers had to transport the accused to the police van, ”Ms. Beckett said.

Arthur McGhie, of Cants Lane, Burgess Hill, now faces conviction in September.