A PROMISING young apprentice has been given a suspended jail sentence for causing a crash with a bus in an act of road rage.

Nathan Matthews, 21, maintains his driving was not dangerous during the incident which wrote off the car he was driving and caused serious damage to an Arriva bus with one passenger on-board.

The bus driver described how Matthews, of Dalton Crescent, in Shildon, had stopped to allow his bus to pass a car parked on Central Parade, also in Shildon, in snowy conditions in March.

CCTV captured at the front and rear of the single-decker bus was played in Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court yesterday, showing apprentice welder Matthews tailgating the bus in a Volkswagen Passat.

A victim personal statement from the Arriva driver said he drove the bus into the middle of the road to pass a parked car when the Passat appeared on the other side of the road after coming around a bend.

The statement added: “I brought my bus to a stop to avoid a collision. I slowly moved forward and as I was passing, the driver made rude hand gestures and was visibly angry.

“I looked in my mirror and noticed the VW was performing a U-turn behind me and began following my bus, beeping its horn.

“I considered pulling over, but did not feel safe and carried on driving for about half a mile at around 20 to 25mph.

“I was on Middleton Road when the VW passed me and it appeared to be driving at speed and revving its engine.”

The court witnessed CCTV footage of the VW pulling in front of the bus and performing an emergency stop – with the bus ploughing into the back of the Passat.

The bus driver added there was “insufficient opportunity for the bus to stop” and the VW, owned by Matthews’ mother, was written off.

Matthews was found guilty of dangerous driving following a trial earlier this month, however his solicitor, John Turner, confirmed Matthews maintains he was parked when the bus hit him.

Mr Turner added: “He shook his head when I asked how his parents had reacted to finding out what he’d done and he became quite upset.

“Very sadly, he had a child who died of cot death aged six months in January this year. He fell into a deep depression and now sees a counsellor weekly.

“He will be in Birmingham tomorrow for the World Skills Show Apprentice Welder of the Year competition and if he wins, he’ll get into a Team GB for welding competitions held internationally. He’s a young man with an awful lot of promise.”

Matthews was given a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for a year, and must complete 60 hours unpaid work. He is banned from driving for 18 months and will pay £515 in court costs.