An army veteran hunted down a 13-year-old boy in his car before sending him "flying through the air" after veering into the cyclist's path.
James Bowdley sought out the youngster after he had been involved in a petty dispute with his teenage daughter. The schoolboy was left seriously injured after taking evasive action to avoid being struck by the vehicle while riding his electric bike, but the enraged motorist got out of the driver's seat and continued to attack him.
A trial at Liverpool Crown Court heard that the victim had "some sort of childish falling out" with the girl on April 17 last year after she had been "teasing" him. This led to the boy tripping her up, causing her grazes and damaging her mobile phone.
READ MORE: Thug stabbed man in front of families after row at pub's beach party
In the evening, the teen answered a call from a girl he knew and found the defendant on the other end. Bowdley told him: "You little s***, wait until I see you."
At around 8pm, he was riding his e-bike along Vyner Road South in Oxton, Wirral, with his cousin as a passenger when he saw the dad's grey Kia Sportage approaching from the opposite direction. The motorist "slammed on his brakes" and swerved into the teenager's lane.
He fell off his scooter while avoiding contact - one witness having described him as "flying through the air" - and sustained a broken left leg as a result, with fractures to his tibia and fibula. But Bowdley, of Sandstone Rise in Oxton, got out of the car and grabbed him by the lapels of his coat before throwing him to the floor.
The 39-year-old began walking back to his vehicle but then approached the boy again, picking him up once more and telling him to "stay away from his daughter" then dropping him once more. The thug subsequently drove off in the direction of Upton Road.
Bowdley was found guilty of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and assault by a jury and returned to the court for sentencing this afternoon, Friday. A statement read out on behalf of the complainant's dad described how the aspiring ski instructor has been left unable to take to the slopes or play football with his friend since the attack.
His injuries saw him lose 3cm of his shin bone and he is only now nearing a full recovery, having been left in "excruciating pain" and with permanent scars. The boy has even been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, while his mum had to take six months of unpaid leave from work in order to look after him.
The statement added: "He has struggled to come to terms with what happened to him. He feels angry and frustrated.
"He has suffered nightmares. He is less confident and more anxious."
Nick Cockrell, defending, urged the court to pass a suspended prison term on his client - whom he said had an "exemplary record" in the armed forces and had shown "genuine remorse". Mr Cockrell added: "He is by all accounts a caring son, a loving husband and a doting father."
But Bowdley, has two previous convictions for three offences, was jailed for two years. He was also banned from driving for three years and must pass an extended retest, as well as being told to pay a victim surcharge.
Sentencing, Judge Denis Watson KC said: "There is one reason he came off that scooter, and that is because of your driving. His ability to carry our normal teenage day to day activities - running and playing with his pals - and his loves of football and skiing have all been impacted.
"You were seeking out confrontation with someone who was a child. You have a different side to you to the man who was driving on April 17 last year.
"I have come to the conclusion that appropriate punishment can only be achieved by immediate custody."
READ NEXT: Brothel 'client' laundered thousands of pounds of dirty money to China
Brown box deliveries tipped off police to huge £7m heroin plot
Suspect pleads not guilty to murder after 53-year-old man found dead in flat
