City road rage incident lands Maryburgh man work order
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A ROAD rage incident landed a Maryburgh man in court for threatening behaviour and careless driving.
Twenty-three year-old Stuart Johnstone stalled his girlfriend's car, his solicitor claimed at the city's sheriff court, and he was trying to get it going as traffic backed up behind him in Inverness city centre.
Depute fiscal Niall Macdonald said the incident began in Church Street about 2pm on April 9 last year.
He said the traffic flow was interrupted and the driver behind Johnstone, Evan MacRae, tooted his horn.
When the accused got going and was stopped at traffic lights he got out and shouted obscenities at the driver behind who was also stopped in the queue at the lights.
He was swearing at the driver and the fiscal said a pub bouncer came over and tried to calm Johnstone down.
In Queensgate Johnstone pulled out without indicating causing another vehicle to brake and his driving was erratic and causing concern.
Mr Macdonald said the driver followed Mr MacRae who phoned the police and drove directly to Burnett Road police station with Johnstone following .
At the police station he shouted and swore at Mr Macrae.
He was traced nearby.
Johnstone of Seaforth Place, Maryburgh admitted on April 9 in streets in Inverness acting aggressively and making obscene gestures towards Mr MacRae and following him in his vehicle and driving carelessly in an erratic and aggressive manner, pulling out when it was unsafe to do so causing drivers to take evasive action.
Solicitor John MacColl said Johnstone had recently been made redundant from his job as a storeman and he didn't dispute what had been said.
"He was waiting to pick someone up. He had stalled the vehicle, which was his girlfriend's, and was trying to get it going. Witnesses would not have known he had stalled. He felt aggrieved because he had stalled rather than making a deliberate attempt to block traffic."
Sheriff Olga Pasportnikov ordered Johnstone to carry out 90 hours of unpaid work and endorsed his licence with five points.
