A 40-year-old lorry driver who opened his door in heavy traffic to kick out at a passing vehicle has been fined more than £1,000 and had seven points put on his licence.
Christopher Horwood, from Watford, denied a charge of dangerous driving but instead pleaded guilty to careless driving and also admitted causing criminal damage to property after he lost his temper on the busy road.
In a hearing today (Wednesday, January 12) at Southwark Crown Court, a judge was told that Horwood, who had been driving HGVs for the majority of his adult career, became “irritated” by another driver and leaned out to take a kick at the moving van.
READ MORE:Man seen wielding metal pole ‘outside pub’ in Isle of Dogs
The incident occurred at around 2pm on February 2, 2021 on Marylebone Road, which is known as a busy street in Central London.
Horwood was driving a lorry towards Edgware Road, which at maximum capacity can carry 32 tonnes, when he became increasingly irritated by two white transit vans driving alongside him, the court heard.
The driver of one van described being “cut up” with the defendant changing lanes to prevent him from overtaking.
Showing dash cam footage, prosecutor Emily Baxter told the court: “[Horwood] is at times straddling two lanes, cutting in front of [the van driver] with very little space.
“At one point this causes [the van] to veer off to the side and scrape the kerb to avoid collision.”
He then opens the door of his lorry, swings his leg out and deliberately kicks the side panel of the white van.
She described the incident as a “compulsive and short-lived action” that was the result of his increasing road rage.
Evidence was shown to Judge Andrew Goymer of the damage, which included scrapes to the tyres and a moody footprint and scrapes on the doorway.
Horwood’s defence lawyer said the van driver had been “messing around” and when the defendant realised he was being filmed he became “extremely distressed”.
She also told the court that since the incident, he is no longer being routed to drive through Central London due to his stress at difficult road situations.
At MyLondon, we want to make sure you get the latest and greatest from across the capital.
And one way you can do that is by getting the best news, reviews and features from wherever you are straight to your inbox with our free email newsletters.
We have seven newsletters you can currently sign up for – including a different one for each part of London, as well as an EastEnders one for all the gossip from Albert Square, and a London Underground one to keep you up to date on the latest transport news.
The local newsletters go out twice a day and send the latest stories straight to your inbox.
From community stories and news covering every borough of London to celebrity and lifestyle stories, we’ll make sure you get the very best every day.
To sign up to any of our newsletters, simply follow this link and select the newsletter that’s right for you.
And to really customise your news experience on the go, you can download our top-rated free apps for iPhone and Android. Find out more here.
Whilst Ms Baxter had stated his behaviour would “merit disqualification”, judge Goymer stated that his previous good character history and his clean driving record led him to the conclusion that license points and a fine would be necessary.
He described the dash cam footage as “alarming” and told the court: “It was a bad piece of driving and it was quite clear to me that it was caused by ill-temper on the defendant’s part.”
He continued: “The person in the defendant’s position, with his experience as a HGV driver, should have known better than to behave in the way that he did.
Whilst he noted that the van driver’s own driving had not been exemplary, he warned: “It is a common experience of driving that people drive irresponsibly and one has to drive with that knowledge in mind, particularly when one is driving a vehicle of that size as he was on that afternoon.”
Mr Horwood has received seven points on his licence and a fine of more than £1,000 to be paid to the court as well as a victim surcharge of £111.
Want more from MyLondon? Sign up to our daily newsletters for all the latest and greatest from across London here.
For all the latest World News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
