Case: road rage allegation – Client acquitted at contested hearing.
Our client was victim of a truck driver who dangerously pushed our client into oncoming traffic by failing to give way. Our client deployed his horn and flashed his lights at the truck driver. Further up the road the lights turned red and all traffic stopped. The truck driver got out of his truck and approached our client with a metal bar. On seeing this our client who is 6 foot and big build and got out of his car. The truck driver took one look at our client and retreated with our client yelling that he will report the truck driver to his employer. The truck driver later attended police with a ripped shirt and alleged our client attempted to hit him while seated in the front of his vehicle.
Charges/ Ch1 (Unlawful Assault)
Result/ Acquitted at Contested Hearing, costs awarded against police.
Our lawyer placed the police on notice that their case was weak, that the truck driver had a motive to lie, had a criminal history for violence offences and that he was the aggressor. Despite the issues of credibility, the prosecution refused to withdraw the charges on the basis that our client would not seek costs against them. Our lawyer gathered further evidence on the height of the truck window to raise an impossibility defence which established that our client, even at 6 foot tall, could not have punched the truck driver nor rip his shirt. The magistrate agreed with our arguments, believed our client’s evidence in the witness box and acquitted him. This case is an example of how police will often defend aggressors and vigilantes over victims of crime. They do so at expense of the tax payer who foots the bill for paying the legal costs for weak police cases and underserving complainants attempting to use the criminal justice system for an ulterior purpose.