Embo road rage driver fined £1500
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A ROAD rage driver has been fined a total of £1500 and ordered to pay his victim £2000 compensation.
Robert Barrow (23) saw red when a Renault Clio driven by William Powrie came up close behind him on the A9 between Dornoch and Tain.
The incident happened around 5.30pm on Monday, 16th January.
Barrow, of 11B King Street, Embo, began driving erratically, accelerating when Mr Powrie tried to overtake him and then braked hard, causing Mr Powrie to skid and go onto the verge to avoid a collision.
Procurator fiscal Roderick Urquhart told Dornoch Sheriff Court that Barrow also twice stopped his car and got out in a fury.
“The accused came out and was shouting and swearing. He rolled up his sleeves and began punching and kicking the other car,” said the fiscal.
“The other driver and his passengers locked themselves in the car before driving off and eventually reporting matters to the police.”
The court heard that Mr Powrie’s car required a re-spray and a new wing door but that the cost of the repairs was in dispute.
Defence agent Craig Wood said the estimate of £2100 appeared to be high and that £800 was thought to be nearer the mark.
Barrow admitted at a previous court three charges relating to the incident. Sentence was deferred until this week for background reports.
He pleaded guilty to careless driving on the trunk road by driving at erratic speeds; accelerating to prevent Mr Powrie from overtaking; and performing an unnecessary emergency stop.
He further admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner and shouting and threatening violence.
And he also pleaded guilty to wilfully or recklessly and without reasonable excuse destroying property belonging to another by kicking and punching the Renault Clio.
Mr Wood said his client was in his first month of a three-year apprenticeship as a storeman/fork lift driver at Nigg. His employment prospects were considered to be “promising.”
The lawyer continued: “My client was driving on the A9 between Dornoch and Tain when William Powrie drove up very close behind him. I am told he had done the same thing on a previous occasion.”
Mr Wood claimed Barrow was “put upon” rather than the other way around, although the 23-year-old accepted he had slowed down and had also damaged Mr Powrie’s car.
“The complainer (Mr Powrie) drove off over my client’s foot and I have a letter from his doctor saying that the injury is consistent with a car tyre,” he said
Mr Wood added that Barrow was “embarrassed and ashamed” at his loss of control.
In addition to the fine and compensation order, Sheriff David Sutherland imposed five penalty points, adding to the six live points already on Barrow’s licence.
- More court stories in tomorrow’s Northern Times
