A ROAD rage motorist threatened to kill a cyclist before driving his car at him in a "terrifying" ordeal.

Edward Shane revved the engine of his Citroen DS 4 and “used it as a weapon” and accelerated at Marcus Twine before crashing into a lamppost the victim was sheltering behind.

The 69-year-old defendant was “drunk” at the time and made a series of chilling threats during the bizarre incident on Newport’s Heidenheim Drive.

Nik Stobl, prosecuting, said Shane had punched Mr Twine and chased him before he told him: “If I had a gun now, I’d shoot you.

“I would f****** love to kill you. You are going to die on this road today.”

Cardiff Crown Court was told the violence erupted after the defendant had beeped Mr Twine who asked him what his problem was at traffic lights near Sainsbury’s.

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Shane got out of his vehicle after they swore at each other and he punched him before the victim kicked him twice in self-defence, once when he’d picked his bicycle up in the air.

Mr Twine had told the defendant to stop and that he was bleeding but he kept coming at him.

When Shane drove his car at him when he was behind the lamppost he hit the victim’s bike.

Mr Strobl added: The victim feared for his life and genuinely thought he was going to be killed at that point.

“He was trying to hide behind cars while the defendant was saying, ‘I’m going to kill you’”

Mr Twine described the episode as a “near death experience” and he managed to call 999 after running across the road to the Sainsbury’s petrol station.

“An officer arrested the defendant and she said she could smell intoxicants on his breath but he refused to be breathalysed,” the prosecutor told the court.

“He was taken to hospital because of his injuries and he continued to say he was going to kill Mr Twine one way or another.

“The defendant said he was going to get a hit on him and he knew people who would kill for him.”

Police took a blood sample from him at the hospital which showed he had 175  milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood which means he was more than twice the legal limit for drink driving.

Shane, of Merlin Crescent, Newport admitted making threats to kill, dangerous driving, assault by beating, criminal damage, drink driving and failing to provide a specimen for analysis.

The offences occurred at around 4.30pm on Tuesday, August 9 last year.

The defendant had eight previous convictions for 15 offences with the last being for drink driving in 2003.

Stuart John representing Shane said his client had been receiving counselling about his drinking and was capable of being rehabilitated in the community.

The judge, Recorder Simon Hughes, told the defendant Mr Twine would have been “terrified”.

Shane was jailed for 18 months but the sentence was suspended for two years.

He was made the subject of a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement and ordered to pay his victim £200 in compensation.

The defendant must also pay £415 costs and a £187 surcharge.

Shane was banned from driving for three years and will have to sit an extended retest.