Lorry driver sentenced for violent road rage attack

On the morning of Friday, March 14 this year, an incident occurred between two lorry drivers on the northbound carriageway of the M1 motorway, near to the Watford Gap Services.

One of the drivers, Mykhaylo Kuzyan, switched lanes abruptly causing the other HGV driver to react. He swiftly moved into lane three and flashed his lights in a show off disapproval at the manoeuvre.

Kuzyan took exception to this and when the other driver left the motorway, he followed him into the services and used his vehicle to block the exit road, preventing the other HGV from leaving.

The victim – a man in his 40s – got out of his vehicle, picked up a brick, and banged it against Kuzyan’s lorry, causing damage, before walking away.

Kuzyan then drove his lorry towards the victim before getting out and stabbing him five times in the back. A brave member of the public intervened and broke up the incident.

Following his arrest, Kuzyan was subsequently charged and appeared before Northampton Magistrates’ Court on March 18, when he was remanded in custody and his case committed to the county’s crown court for trial.

However, on September 8, at Northampton Crown Court before the jury was sworn in, Kuzyan changed his plea and admitted Section 20 – wounding without intent on the grounds of self-defence, dangerous driving and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.

Kuzyan, of Oliveira de Frades, Portugal, was sentenced to a total of 22 months’ imprisonment, disqualified from driving in the UK for 35 months and ordered to pay £187 surcharge in full upon his release. A deprivation order was made in respect of the knife.

Detective Constable Abigail Jones of CID West, who led the investigation, said: “Such violence has no place in our society. What started as a minor incident escalated very quickly, resulting in this senseless act.

“As a Force, we continue to highlight the dangers of knives – they are exceptionally dangerous weapons, and the fact is, this incident could easily have had fatal consequences. Thankfully on this occasion, the victim was not seriously injured.

“The sentence handed to Mykhaylo Kuzyan shows the seriousness with which his actions have been taken, and I hope the fact he is now behind bars demonstrates this and reassures the communities we serve.”

The Force continues to be committed to working with partners and our many communities to educate, engage and listen to their concerns about knife crime, while at the same time taking robust action against those people who commit offences.