Victim of road rage, damage to car?

missile

photome wrote: »

are you saying that violence is justified?

Of course not. Violence is never justified. However, I find it very hard to believe that even a BMW driver :rotfl: would do the things OP alleges without provocation. Provocation could also be an offence.

spira9

I spoke to the police on the phone today. I had to contact them for an update. They said it will take 2-3 days until a policeman will be allocated to the case. They also said I could pay for the damage and then send the guy a bill if I press charges. I really don't know what to do.

Fat_Walt

spira9 wrote: »

I spoke to the police on the phone today. I had to contact them for an update. They said it will take 2-3 days until a policeman will be allocated to the case. They also said I could pay for the damage and then send the guy a bill if I press charges. I really don't know what to do.

You can make an application for costs to be awarded if he's convicted but the police aren't in the business of getting you your money back unless you go for a community resolution.

seatbeltnoob

interstellaflyer wrote: »

The Police will deal with the physical facts, what verbal altercation came before is irrelevant, the crime committed was Criminal Damage and that, should they be interested, is what they will investigate.

on the road, flipping a birdie is a criminal offence.

AdrianC

seatbeltnoob wrote: »

on the road, flipping a birdie is a criminal offence.

It is, is it? Care to explain how and why?

Giles_K

Like the others have said, you can claim for expenses through criminal damage, but it's not something the Police are going to do for you - and I also don't think this is expensive enough to get bailiffs or sheriffs involved.

As for his other actions, if there is proof (and with any criminal offense, it is always a case of having proof) then you should feel free to take this up as well.

Quentin

Giles_K wrote: »

.......I also don't think this is expensive enough to get bailiffs or sheriffs involved

If you get a court judgement against a defendant and they don't pay up then there is no lower limit needed before you can use bailiffs to enforce the judgement

bartelbe

Of course not. Violence is never justified. However, I find it very hard to believe that even a BMW driver would do the things OP alleges without provocation. Provocation could also be an offence.

Utter nonsense. Near misses and stupid manoeuvres happen all the time, but that never justifies this kind of response.

The OP was right to get away, maybe the guy was all bark and no bite, but what if he wasn't? Potentially having your head kicked in by some psycho in a carpark is something no-one deserves, whatever daft thing they did.

interstellaflyer

AdrianC wrote: »

It is, is it? Care to explain how and why?

I think seatbeltnoob has been watching too much Traffic Cops and Police Intercepters, IIRC in one episode they did pull some one for giving the middle finger to another driver, turned out to be an unmarked police car and the officer did threaten a Section 5 Public Order charge, but we all know much of what goes on in those programs is staged.

interstellaflyer

Tothepoint. wrote: »

There are witnesses.

Hopefully the crime of criminal damage will be recorded and if there's enough evidence a charge for both offences may result.

Are there reliable witnesses to the initial altercation that have made or are willingly to make statements though? In the case of my friend, they couldn't prove the intitial altercation was anything other than six of one, half a dozen of the other but could prove the Criminal Damage.