Road-rage driver confronted terrified couple with hunting knife during 'moment of madness' on busy Leeds road

Ross Thompson exchanged verbal taunts with the husband and wife on Meanwood Road before overtaking, slamming on his brakes and then getting out armed with the sheathed weapon.

The horrified victims said they “feared for their lives” and locked their doors as Thompson stormed up to the driver’s side window and demanded the man get out while clutching the long blade. He then got back in his car and drove off.

The woman was able to get a photo on her phone of Thompson’s car, and he was arrested a short time later and the blade found in his glovebox, still in its sheath.

Leeds Crown Court heard that the 28-year-old qualified joiner gave no comments during his police interview. He admitted making threats with a bladed article. He has one previous conviction for a driving matter.

A victim impact statement from the husband read to the court stated: “It has affected me massively, I’m extremely worried about driving. I’m considering selling my van, I feel very insecure. I felt in fear of my life.”

A probation report suggested that the victims has also been verbally aggressive towards him before they came to a stop. It was also reported that was unemployed, had a strained fmaily life and was self-medicating with cannabis for mental health issues. It also suggested he “deeply regretted” his actions from the incident on March 12.

Mitigating for Thompson, Tom Jackson said: "There’s clearly more to this than just road rage, there had been some antagonism. It does not excuse anyone getting out of a car, it was not completely unprovoked but it was an overreaction.

"It was a spontaneous moment of madness rather than it being pre-planned. It was a one-off incident that was completely out of character.”

The judge, Recorder Brian Whitehead told Thompson: “You were slaloming between vehicles. It’s clear from the statements that you, unsurprisingly, caused alarm and distress. Waving a knife at anyone will result in alarm and distress. Fortunately, there was a pane of glass separating you, and the door had been locked.”

He jailed Thompson for eight months.