MOTORIST James Pugh-Jones, who smashed his car into a pedestrian while chasing after another man, has avoided jail.

The 23-year-old was pursuing a man who had fled after getting into an argument with him and his friends in Lydney, Gloucester Crown Court was told.

But Pugh-Jones ploughed into 35-year-old Arlo O'Donnell, who was innocently walking along the pavement on his way to visit his mother.

Mr O'Donnell was thrown onto the bonnet of the car and then down an embankment and suffered injuries which put him off work for five weeks, Gloucester Crown Court was told.

Pugh-Jones, an unemployed marine mechanic, of Railway Road, Cinderford, admitted dangerous driving on September 25 last year. But he denied the prosecution claim that he had deliberately run down Mr O'Donnell in the mistaken belief that he was the man he was chasing after.

Pugh-Jones insisted in evidence that he hit Mr O'Donnell accidentally and had no intention of using his car as a weapon against anyone.

The judge, Recorder Ben Compton QC, said he was satisfied that Pugh-Jones had been 'pursuing' Dan Prewer in his car as part of an attack on Mr Prewer by himself and others.

"I am satisfied that he was giving chase," said the Recorder. "The critical question I have to decide is whether this was a deliberate running down using the car as a lethal weapon – or was it a mistake.

"I cannot be sure about that. I think he probably did, possibly did it deliberately, but the evidence is not conclusive."

Sentencing Pugh-Jones to six months' jail suspended for a year with 12 months' supervision and 150 hours of unpaid work, the judge said he was lucky he was not going straight to prison.

He also banned Pugh-Jones from driving for 18 months and ordered him to pay £600 towards compensation for Mr O'Donnell.