A road-rage driver who steered at a pedestrian and threatened to rape his daughter has been let off a jail sentence.

Judge David Rennie ordered Paul Mills, 40, of Dallaway Gardens, East Grinstead, to serve a two-year community rehabilitation order when he appeared at Hove Crown Court for sentence yesterday after pleading not guilty to two charges of dangerous driving.

During his trial, the court heard how Roger Panel and his 22-year-old daughter Sarah were shopping in Eastbourne on September 5 last year and were on a pedestrian crossing when Mills drove at them.

Mr Panel said an Astra van appeared to accelerate towards them, forcing them to jump out of the way.

They saw the van turn into a Vauxhall garage and went to speak to Mills, of Dallaway Gardens, East Grinstead.

Miss Panel said Mills pushed her father in the chest and said: "I will get your daughter raped."

A week later, Keith and Carol Wright were driving home to Sussex from a shopping trip in Croydon with their son in the car. They said Mills passed on the nearside of their car and then braked suddenly in front of them.

They got out to speak to Mills when he stopped at a set of traffic lights but thought better of it.

Mills steered his van at their car a number of times and yelled at Mrs Wright that he would kill her husband and son and would rape her.

Mills, 40, was warned he would be sent to prison after he was found guilty of the two road rage attacks.

Judge Rennie warned him he faced a prison sentence because the public needed to be protected from him.

However, the judge heard yesterday an anger management course was helping Mills to overcome his problems.

The judge ordered a psychiatric report on the unemployed driver because he was concerned about Mills's attitude towards women.

The court also heard Mills had eight previous convictions for assault and road rage offences stretching back to 1981.

Mills was also banned from driving for two years and ordered to take an extended test at the end of the disqualification.