By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A driver of a small hatchback has pursued and smashed up another vehicle with a ratchet-like tool in a bizarre road rage incident at Doveton, a court has heard.
The 30-year-old man in a Toyota Yaris cut off the victim’s car on Frawley Road about 6.50am on 16 February, police told Dandenong Magistrates’ Court.
He got out of his car and asked the victim why they had entered his lane.
The other driver replied: “What are you talking about?”
The enraged accused then struck the car’s windscreen with his hand, and hit and broke the right-side rear-view mirror.
The other driver called triple-0 as he drove off and was followed by the accused.
The accused overtook and parked in front of the victim’s car.
He got out and struck the car’s bonnet three times with a tool like a “metal ratchet” while the victim was still talking to the triple-0 operator.
Heeding the advice of the operator, the victim drove to Dandenong police station. He was pursued and overtaken again.
The chase ended as the driver approached the police station.
In a police interview, the accused admitted damaging the other car. He had been “upset” as he got out of his car, he told police.
He stated he was on psychiatric medication at the time.
Defence lawyer Aaron Eidelson told the court on 2 July that his client wrote to the victim, apologising for his “inexcusable behaviour”.
The accused undertook that it wouldn’t happen again, Mr Eidelson said.
The former Afghan asylum seeker had spent a year in detention on Christmas Island 10 years ago. He helped support his 10 close siblings, and had just started visiting a psychologist.
Magistrate Pauline Spencer said the accused’s reaction had been “extreme” but noted his remorse and lack of priors.
“I’m confident with (the) intervention from a psychologist we won’t see a repeat of this type of behaviour.”
The man was put on a 12-month good-behaviour bond on condition that he attended anger-management counselling.
He was also ordered to pay $1929.45 restitution for the other car’s repairs.
