A 76-year-old man who was involved in a road rage incident has been fined £500.

John Eric Chadwick, from Onchan, beeped his horn constantly and drove close behind motorbikes during the incident.

He appeared before Deputy High Bailiff Rachael Braidwood recently, pleading guilty to provoking behaviour, and was also ordered to pay £50 prosecution costs.

Prosecuting advocate Roger Kane told the court that Chadwick was driving a Volvo on March 15, on the A5 New Castletown Road in Douglas.

He was heading towards Fort North roundabout, with three motorbikes and a car in front of him.

Chadwick was said to have been holding down his horn as he drove closely behind the bikes.

The complainants said that they had felt scared and intimidated by his driving.

A witness described Chadwick as driving aggressively, almost as if he was trying to ram the bikes off the road, and holding down his horn.

He was later invited for a voluntary interview by police, but declined.

The court heard that the defendant, who lives at Sunningdale Drive, had a caution earlier this year, in relation to an incident of alleged provoking behaviour.

He was represented in court by advocate Kaitlyn Shimmin, who asked the court to deal with the offence by way of a financial penalty, and said her client would be able to pay within seven days.

Ms Shimmin asked for credit to be given for the guilty plea, and said that Chadwick wanted to apologise to the court, as he accepted there had been excessive use of his horn.

The advocate went on to say that Chadwick himself had said that he had felt intimidated by the way that the bikers had come around him, but that he acknowledged that he could have reacted differently to the incident.