A MOTORIST said to have “a short fuse” became involved in a road-rage confrontation with a lorry driver.

Ryan Watson was told he came close to receiving an immediate prison sentence, after he changed his plea and admitted a charge of dangerous driving arising from the incident on the A19, in County Durham on December 3, last year.

Durham Crown Court was told that at about 4pm Watson, who was at the wheel of a silver Range Rover, appeared to swerve in an out of lanes ahead of a lorry on the southbound carriageway, near the turn-off for Peterlee.

Paul Abrahams, prosecuting, said at one stage Watson pulled into the inside lane, in front of the lorry, before slowing, causing the HGV driver to flash his lights.

Mr Abrahams said eventually, the car came to a halt, and Watson got out , approached the lorry cab, telling the driver he had a knife and offering to fight him.

He refused and told Watson to go on his way, which he eventually did, but, when the driver later informed his boss, he was told it should be reported to police.

Watson was arrested and claimed any perceived weaving in and out of his car was caused through mechanical problems with his car.

The 33-year-old, of Wellburn Road, Washington, previously denied dangerous driving, but, after the jury was discharged from giving a verdict on the second day of the trial, defence barrister Glenn Gatland asked if the charge could be put to his client again.

Mr Gatland said the plea was given, “on the full facts”, outlined to the court.

He told the court that the defendant’s Range Rover did slow down at one point in front of the lorry, “for no explicable reason”, but after that he accepted he behaved as the prosecution outlined earlier, to the jury.

The court heard Watson has four previous convictions for dangerous driving, but they were all more than three years previously and arose from police chases.

Mr Gatland added that Watson has kept out of trouble for more than three years, and has qualifications to take up an offer of work offshore.

Imposing a19-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, Judge Hickey told Watson the lorry driver was, “a perfectly decent, hard-working man”, in no way to blame for the incident.

“It occurred for no other reason than you have a short fuse,” added Judge Hickey, who banned Watson from driving for two years and ordered him to pay £3,600 costs plus £200 compensation to the lorry driver.