A van driver has been jailed for three-and-a-half years after deliberately running over a cyclist who spat at him.

Sickening footage shows the driver, Mark Okotie, speed up as the cyclist goes under two wheels of his vehicle during rush hour in Lewisham, south-east London. 

Internal dashcam video shows Okotie saying something to himself before turning the steering wheel sharply to clatter into the biker. 

His face showed little reaction as his van mounted on top of the cyclist's body. 

Woolwich Crown Court heard Okotie was delivering blood products to a south London hospital when he moved his van into the left lane 'seemingly without looking' and came close to the man on his bike in New Cross Road in March 2024.

At the next set of traffic lights, the cyclist spat in Okotie's direction, which 'went through the open driver's window', the court heard. 

Okotie, 44, who mentors young people to keep them out of violence, was found guilty of grievous bodily harm with intent last week. 

Today, he was sentenced to three years and six months but was not banned from driving. 

Okotie has been driving for the last two-and-a-half years since the incident.  

The cyclist was taken to hospital with multiple fractures to his pelvis and suffered a fractured femur. 

He required surgery to insert metal fixings into his pelvis and leg. 

Witnesses saw a van swerve out of its lane and cross into the path of the cyclist before accelerating away. 

Another said that they believed the driver had tried to kill the cyclist. 

In a victim statement, the cyclist said that the attack had made him 'more cautious of people'. 

He said: 'Before the incident I was social, I would go out and meet people and mingle. Now I try to avoid people when I am out and about, when I am in a group of people I don't really know I now tend to keep myself to myself.

'I used to go jogging every morning before work but I've not been able to do that since.

'When I hear a van or a large vehicle coming up behind me when I'm cycling it can make me panic. 

'Looking forwards to the future, the incident will continue to have an impact on the things I used to do on a daily basis like running and certain exercise.'

Okotie, who is a father of eight children and has a one-year-old grandchild, works with young people 'to prevent them from entering a world of violence', which he was 'exposed to as a young man', according to his defence barrister. 

Police rushed to the scene of the collision alongside the London Ambulance Service at around 5.40pm.

Detectives then worked to secure internal and external dashcam footage from Okotie's own van as well as footage from nearby buses. 

Detective Inspector Steven Andrews, who led the investigation, said: 'Okotie was driving a vehicle carrying blood destined for hospital patients in need. Instead of continuing a journey intended to support potentially lifesaving treatment, he chose to place someone else's life at risk.

'We acted quickly to secure and review extensive dashcam and CCTV footage, while obtaining crucial witness evidence from those who saw the incident unfold. That meticulous investigative work allowed us to build a clear picture of events, leaving no doubt about Okotie's culpability.

'I hope this sentence provides a measure of justice for the victim and demonstrates that deliberate acts of violence on London roads will be robustly investigated and prosecuted.'

Sentencing Okotie, Recorder Neil Haythorne said: 'In a moment of extreme road rage, which appears entirely out of character from what I have heard about you, you caused serious injury to a cyclist.

'You used the van as a highly dangerous weapon.'