A MAN who struck an elderly motorist in the face through his open car window during a road rage incident at Crewkerne has been convicted of the offence following a trial.

Neil Jocelyn Speed was driving his range Rover hire car through town past Maiden Beech Academy at the end of the school day when he began beeping his horn at the victim who had stopped to allow another car to pull out.

The defendant overtook the pensioner, stopped his car in front of his causing him to pull over and then struck him in the face as he wound down the driver’s window giving him a split lip.

The 49-year-old defendant, of Mill Road, Barton St David, pleaded not guilty to assaulting Bryan Cox by beating him on January 21 when he stood trial before Somerset Magistrates.

He claimed he had acted in self defence as he thought the victim was behaving in an aggressive manner towards him after giving him “the finger” as he drove past.

Prosecutor Suzie Butler told the court at Yeovil that the victim was driving his Polo car on the B3165 Lyme Road in Crewkerne at around 3.30pm when he stopped in the road to let another car pull out.

He then became aware of another motorist beeping his horn, holding it down constantly, and when he looked in his rear view mirror could see a white Range Rover which was bumper to bumper with him so he drove off.

The defendant overtook him and pulled in front of Mr Cox causing him to stop and then exited his car and approached the victim while he was sat in his vehicle.

“Speed was shouting aggressively and appeared to be very angry with his voice raised so Mr Cox opened his window and then, without warning the victim felt a blow to his face.

“His hand hit the right side of the victim’s jaw causing a cut to his lower lip.”

Giving evidence on oath, Mr Cox said that the defendant had his hand continuously on his horn and was right up next to the back of his car.

“I thought, what was wrong with the man, I had only pulled up to let a car out and when I drove on this car drove straight in front of me,” he said.

“The driver got out and was shouting something and I could see he was walking in an aggressive manner so I went to wind the window down and he put his fist through the window and it went straight into my face.”

Speed told the court that he had been driving to Lyme Regis with his partner for the afternoon to visit his parents’ grave when he came across the complainant who was blocking the road to let another car negotiate a space.

“I tried to make the driver aware that there was other traffic stuck there but he had deliberately stopped on the wrong side of the road for two or three minutes and then started to move incredibly slowly,” he said.

“I then went to overtake it but could not as the driver made a deliberate manoeuvre forcing me backwards so I had to move back into the lane again.

“I felt concerned for the safety of myself, my passenger and two dogs who were in the boot, but as I drove past Mr Cox he was raising his fingers at the window so I stopped and tried to speak to the man as his driving had been dangerous.”

The defendant said it happened in a matter of seconds and it looked as though Mr Cox was trying to get something and he felt threatened but had pushed him back with his hand and said he didn’t punch him.

The magistrates found that Speed had not acted in self defence and found him guilty of the offence,

They fined him £300 and ordered him to pay £100 compensation to Mr Cox and also imposed costs of £400 and a £30 victim surcharge.