A 25-year-old father who smashed his car into a minicab ferrying a mother and her two young children before assaulting his former partner was today spared jail.

Croydon man Lucas Francis was driving his ex-partner home from having a drink with friends when he suddenly accelerated and crashed into the cab in Bishopsford Road In Morden just after midnight on Sunday, June 8.

Prosecuting barrister Don Rogers told the court Francis argued in the car with Lena McDonagh, the mother of his children, saying he'd been embarrassed by her and then threatening to kill both of them.

He said Francis then sped up to a high speed and crashed into a minicab which tried to swerve and evade him.

Francis then assaulted 22-year-old Ms McDonagh as he dragged her out of the car.

Two children in the minicab were taken to hospital - one with grazes on their face and another with a graze to the head and bruising.

Francis pleaded guilty to dangerous driving in September. He pleaded guilty to common assault against Ms McDonagh last month.

He was first arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, but was later charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The charge was later changed again to the less serious offence of common assault.

Francis first told police he accelerated because he was being chased by travellers.

But CCTV proved this was not true, and he later admitted lying, claiming he did so because he was "absolutely terrified" by the accusation of attempted murder.

Defence barrister Abigail Penny said Francis was responding to Ms McDonagh assaulting him during the car journey following an argument about his relationship with another woman.

She said: "We are not dealing with a man who has a series of offences. It's a one-off incident which was caused by the breakdown of a substantial relationship ... It was the result of a partner not being able to accept the end of a relationship and him not being able to deal with the issue in an appropriate way."

Francis has no previous convictions and had a clean driving license prior to the offence.

Appearing at Kingston Crown Court this afternoon he was given a suspended sentence of 14 months. He was disqualified from driving for 15 months and will have to take a driving test before being allowed on the roads again.

Judge Susan Tapping said: "What happened that night in June of last year simply should never have happened.

"It wasn't circumstances being forced on you, it was you reacting to a situation in quite the wrong way and what you did was to make it worse for everyone around you - not only for the passenger in your car but most frighteningly for passengers and the cab driver seeing your car bearing down on them."