A driver who punched  a cyclist in the face during a road rage row has been ordered to do unpaid work.

The attack occurred after Malcolm McDermott, 30,  overtook a cyclist in his Vauxhall Astra at a set of temporary traffic lights on Dean Row Road, Handforth, on the morning of Saturday, February 2.

Debbie Byrne prosecuting, told Macclesfield magistrates that the victim believed McDermott was driving too close to him so banged on his rear passenger window several times to alert him.

Shortly afterwards, McDermott, a self-employed air conditioning engineer, pulled over and began  swearing at him.

Mrs Byrne said: “The defendant approached him and swung two punches at him.

“The complainant says he managed to take a few steps back and they caught him on his helmet. He then threw a third punch which hit him on the eye.”

The cyclist suffered bruising around the eye.

In his police interview, McDermott said he heard a bang on his car and had pulled over to see if there was any damage.

He claimed his victim was shouting and swearing at him and that he made a ‘split second decision’ to punch him as he feared the cyclist was going to hit him.

McDermott, of Edleston Grove, Wilmslow, pleaded guilty to common assault.

He was ordered to do 80 hours’ unpaid work as part of a 12 month community order. He was also told to pay £150 compensation, £85 costs and a £60 victim surcharge.

Lesley Herman, defending, said: “There was no pre-meditation or pre-planning. There was some degree of provocation because what caused him to actually stop in front of the cyclist is that he had banged on his window very loudly more than once. The injuries are minor given the circumstances and there was one punch.

“Mr McDermott travels around the country, often to London where there are a lot of cyclists,  and he has never had any problems or incidents of this nature.”