A VIOLENT motorist beat up a cyclist by the side of the road before getting someone to lie for him as he tried to escape conviction.

David Lowrey, of Kingsway, St George, lost his temper when a bike rider gestured at him to get back in his lane, Bristol Crown Court heard.

Prosecuting, Jason Taylor said the 34-year-old was driving along Badminton Road, Downend, just after 9pm on April 4 last year, when a cyclist called Mr Lovell was riding in the opposite direction.

Mr Lovell was in the cycle lane and when he noticed Lowrey was encroaching on it, coming from the opposite direction, he gestured at him to move over.

But the court heard as the car passed, Lowrey slowed down, then reversed and blocked the cyclist's path.

Mr Lovell tried to ride away by mounting the nearby pavement, but Lowrey got out and pushed him into a hedge.

Witnesses saw him punch Mr Lovell a number of times in the face, then, as Mr Lovell held his arms to prevent further attack, Lowrey head butted him.

Mr Lovell suffered minor injuries. He made a note of the car registration and called the police, who arrested Lowrey.

In interview, Lowrey claimed that it was the cyclist who was the aggressor and they had ended up scuffling and clashing heads.

He later provided a letter written by a woman he said had been an independent witness, but it turned out she was a friend of his who had not been anywhere near the road at the time of the incident.

When police visited the woman to take a statement they soon realised Lowrey was trying to get out of trouble and he was charged with perverting the court of justice, as well as assault.

Several independent witnesses backed Mr Lovell's version of events and Lowrey, a father of one, eventually admitted both charges at court.

Mitigating, James Haskell said after string of motoring offences, his client had been out of court for a "considerable" time but had suffered a "moment of madness".

"Mr Lowrey accepts that he should not have confronted this young man in the way that he did," he said.

"Mr Lowrey accepts how stupid he has been."

Jailing him for a total of four months, Judge Michael Longman said: "This was a very unpleasant incident and because of the behaviour that you decided to pursue once you had been identified, you have made the situation much worse for yourself and the offence much more serious."