Taxi driver thought he was going to be killed by crazed man who chased him and tried to ram him off

A taxi driver from Grimsby feared for his life whilst being pursed by raging Brett Lea, 33, who accused him of “getting involved in something that was nothing to do with him”.

The court heard that the taxi driver had just dropped off a female passenger at her home in Broughton. On arrival, Brett Lea pulled up in his van and blocked the entry to the woman’s property. Richard Davies, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court that the woman was Lea’s wife, who he’d recently split with. They had bumped into each other earlier and got into an argument, which is why Lea had showed up at her home. Lea began to kick and punch his wife repeatedly, knocking her down. He was heard threatening to kill her. The taxi tried to intervene by calling the police. In a fit of rage, Lea turned his attention to the taxi driver. The unnamed taxi driver managed to drive off but Lea was soon on his tail. Chasing the taxi close to it’s rear bumper, Lea attempted to ram into it. The taxi driver went into a cul-de-sac, where Lea jumped out of his van and began threatening him. The driver managed to escape but this time Lea was able to ram his taxi several times while in pursuit. Addressing Lea in court, Judge Peter Makepeace QC said: “You turned your anger and aggression away from your wife and turned your aggression on him(the taxi driver). “He was scared for his life. You pursued him again. This was when things got from vicious cruelty to insanity. “You repeatedly shunted into the back of the car. It was extraordinary that he did not lose control of that vehicle and he wasn’t killed or other people killed. “You have completely lost your mind. Your anger was so great that you have lost any rational senses at all. “It was road rage in the extreme. There was repeated and deliberate ramming of his vehicle. “He believes that you were deliberately trying to kill him by running him off the road.” Brett Lea was sentenced to 14 months in jail and was banned from driving for 19 months. He must also pass a retest and was given a five-year restraining order, reported the GrimsbyLive.

(Image of Brett Lea: Humberside Police)