Burmarrad Road, where the confrontation between the cyclist and the bus driver unfolded. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

A magistrate sentenced a bus driver to two months imprisonment yesterday after hearing how he tried to run over a cyclist in a fit of road rage.

Thomas Spagnol, 41, of Żejtun, was jailed after he tried to run down the cyclist, who had just told him off for nearly running him over further up the road.

The incident took place on July 9 of last year. Mr Spagnol was driving a coach from Schillaci Garage which was contracted to provide public transport services after the Arriva bendy buses were taken off the roads.

The court heard that Mr Spagnol was driving his coach at high speed as he approached a roundabout in Mosta.

He failed to observe a stop sign and almost hit cyclist Graham Borg, a triathlete who was cycling towards Burmarrad.

The cyclist caught up with the bus down the road and tried to speak to the bus driver about the near-miss. But Mr Spagnol swerved in his direction, mounting the pavement in the process.

Mr Spagnol swerved in the cyclist’s direction, mounting the pavement in the process... There were passengers in the bus at the time of the incident

The cyclist was unharmed. There were passengers in the bus at the time of the incident.

Testifying in court, Mr Spagnol admitted to having stopped late when he approached the roundabout but denied manoeuvring in the cyclist’s direction.

He claimed that he had swerved to avoid a pothole. He said he could not hear the cyclist speaking to him as the doors had shut automatically.

However, the court heard that the coach he was driving did not have an automatic door-shutting mechanism.

The magistrate, Francesco Depasquale, was not at all convinced by Mr Spagnol, saying the cyclist’s version of events was more credible.

He noted that the incident could have had much more serious consequences and therefore deserved a “severe punishment”, saying “traffic regulations apply to all”.

He found the bus driver guilty of driving negligently and dangerously, being on his mobile while at the wheel, failing to observe a stop sign and breaching the peace.

Besides a two-month jail term, the magistrate suspended his driving licence for three months.

Police Inspector Maria Stella Attard prosecuted, while lawyer Dr Victor Bugeja appeared for the accused.