A brain-injured man used his van as a weapon to knock someone over, a court heard. But a judge, who recognised Tommy Dunlop's mental impairment, spared him immediate prison as well as a driving ban.
Bristol Crown Court heard Dunlop became embroiled in an argument which erupted between his pal and the dad of his friend's ex-girlfriend. After a violent confrontation in a Weston-super-Mare retail park, Dunlop climbed into his van and drove into the dad, knocking him down and leaving him with minor injuries.
Dunlop, 20, a gardener of Bluebell Path in Haydon Wick, Swindon, pleaded guilty to a attempted grievous bodily harm with intent. Judge Moira Macmillan imposed a two-year prison sentence suspended for 18 months.
