'I was convinced he was getting a gun': Black Country father and son tell of road rage horror

Qasim Hussain pulled on a ski mask and waved a bayonet out the window whilst screaming at Steven Caxton and his son who repeatedly tried to escape down Birmingham New Road in Dudley, a court heard.

Hussain then got out of his car and went to the boot to remove a golf club, which his victims believed was a gun.

Hussain then pulled up beside the pair and took the golf club out and smashed the windows, bonnet and panels of their car - destroying the vehicle's electronic sensors and causing thousands of pounds of damage.

Hussain also demanded mobile phone footage taken of him be deleted from the victim's mobile phone. He then sped away from the scene, but West Midlands Police tracked him down that evening. When Hussain spotted officers he ran away, only to give himself up after they found him in a take-away.

Prosecuting at Wolverhampton Crown Court, Lal Amarsinghe said: "Mr Caxton allowed another driver in, and then the defendant also tried to squeeze in."

Mr Caxton did not let Hussain in, the court heard.

"This enraged the defendant who chased them down the road.

"When they pulled alongside each other, they both rolled down the window. Mr Caxton noticed the defendant was waving a knife at them and wearing a face covering. They then pull onto the central reservation to see if there was any damage.

"The defendant then reversed back down the road and drove into their car, before driving off. A few minutes later the two cars met again in traffic and the defendant started chasing them. He got out with a knife and threatened them, and then took a golf club out of the boot.

"Mr Caxton's son urged his father to 'drive, drive, drive' because they believed he had a gun. Further down the road, Hussain again targeted them and this time smashed their car with a golf club."

'I was convinced he was getting a gun'

The father and son told the court in victim impact statements the attack had seriously unnerved them both.

Mr Caxton's son said: "I thought when he went to the boot I was convinced he was getting a gun. I even ducked down when my dad drove off. When he pulled alongside us I was genuinely thought he was going to have a gun. I believed he was going to shoot us. I was scared for my life."

His father Steven said: "This incident has had an emotional impact on me and put me on edge. Seeing a stranger hold a knife towards my son has been incredibly stressful. I thought he was going to get through the passenger window and attack us. I thought I would get my head caved in."

Hussain, who has nine previous convictions for 20 offences including dangerous driving and driving whilst disqualified, pleaded guilty to possessing a blade in public place, threatening a person with a bladed article and criminal damage.

The defence solicitor said: "He knows he has made a terrible mistake and does not know where his anger came from. My client often speaks to youngsters in schools about the dangers of going down the same road as he did when it comes to criminality. He is married and has children. He cares for his sister, and has not been in trouble since the incident."

Recorder David Lock sentenced Hussain, of Bromford Lane, Birmingham, to two years in prison, suspended, and gave him a year-long 10pm-5am curfew, 240 hours unpaid work, 20 days of rehabilitation activity to address his anger, and ordered to pay both his victims £1,000. He was also disqualified from driving for two years.

He said: "You may do commendable things in the community but you have a side to you which, when it comes out, sees you make regular appearances at court. This would have been a terrifying ordeal for the victims. If you fail to comply to this sentence, you will be sent to prison."