Tyrant caught traitor following car (8)
I believe the answer is:
autocrat
'tyrant' is the definition.
('autocrat' can be a synonym of 'tyrant')
'caught traitor following car' is the wordplay.
'caught' becomes 'c' (cricket abbreviation).
'traitor' becomes 'rat' (I've seen this before).
'following' says to put letters next to each other.
'car' becomes 'auto' ('auto' can be a synonym of 'car').
'c'+'rat'='crat'
'crat' put after 'auto' is 'AUTOCRAT'.
(Other definitions for autocrat that I've seen before include "One with absolute power" , "All-powerful ruler" , "Arrogant type" , "Dictatorial person" , "Ruler with absolute power" .)