’Woeful’ behaviour over car-parking

Press, 23 February 1978, Page 2

’Woeful’ behaviour over car-parking

A managing director became irate when a woman driver “nosed” into a parking space he was waiting for, warned her, and then backed into her car, the Magistrate’s Court was told yesterday. Thomas Robert Malcolm Johnson, aged 26, admitted wilfully damaging on October 7 a car owned by International Models, Ltd. ’ Johnson had had an urgent business appointment on a busy Friday night and while waiting for a car to leave a parking space the complainant “ducked in behind,” said counsel (Mr P. H. B. Hall). The defendant had backed towards the woman and asked her to get out of the park he had been waiting for. She refused, Mr Hall said. The defendant had told her he intended moving his car back if she did not leave, but she remained and watched as the defendant

struck her car with a light bump. Johnson then repeated his warning and did the same thing again. They were both light bumps, so that it was unlikely the damage would have amounted to $lO9. It would have included bumps and scratches the defendant had noticed on the other car at the time. Johnson had told the police that he considered the wtfman to be “downright rude and ignorant” and that he had backed his car to intimidate her. Mr F. G. Paterson, S.M., said that the defendant's behaviour was woefully below the standards expected of any citizen, let alone one in a responsible position. If such type of behaviour was condoned, one "might as well have boxing rings with people driving motor-cars at each other,” he said. He convicted and fined Johnson $2OO and disqualified him from driving for three months.