Somerset man jailed after crushing victim in road rage attack

A man previously convicted of killing someone while driving has been jailed for nearly 10 years for a road rage attack.

Francesco Ippolito used his VW Transporter as "a weapon to cause life-changing injuries" after his wing mirror was clipped, police said.

After the attack, near Weston-super-Mare on 1 June last year, Ippolito fled to Bristol before being arrested.

His victim told Bristol Crown Court the attack had "ruined his life".

Ippolito had been due to face a trial in February, but admitted one charge of causing grievous bodily harm two weeks before the trial was scheduled to start.

The 37-year-old, of Bleadon in Somerset, lost his temper after his wing mirror made contact with another van close to Hutton Garden Centre on Banwell Road, police said.

The court heard he got out of his van to confront the other driver and two men, before driving at one of them.

Ippolito's van crushed 30-year-old James Duff against another vehicle, causing fractures to both of his legs and a broken pelvis.

In a statement read to the court, Mr Duff - who has needed multiple operations since the attack - said: "This has had a huge impact on my family.

"I am unable to go out of the house unaided or play with my children.

"I am angry, upset and I constantly struggle with pain. This was over a broken wing mirror and this incident has ruined my life."

At his sentencing hearing on 6 April, Judge William Hart told Ippolito an "insignificant" event had led to "extreme violence".

"You lost your self-control with devastating consequences," he said.

"You fled the scene thereafter motivated by covering your tracks, this evidence is overwhelming.

"The consequences for [your victim] are very grave indeed," he added.

Ippolito, who was jailed for nine years and four months, was previously convicted of causing the death of a man in 2009 by careless driving.

Because of this, he will remain on licence for an extended period of five years after his release from prison, having been classed as a dangerous offender.

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