Jag driver jailed for car park rage
Discussion
Surely all he had to do was keep quiet, take it and then ignore it? Would have been a lot less bother. Utter numpty!
Bristol Evening Post today:
Linky
A driver who knocked down a parking attendant who ticketed him for using a parent and child space has been sent to jail.
Martin Takle had left his Jaguar car in the marked bay at Asda in Bedminster when Jackie Smith handed him the £60 penalty charge notice, Bristol Crown Court heard.
The 36-year-old was so angry he veered sharply as he reversed his car out of the spot, catching Ms Smith with his front wing.
Ms Smith was knocked to the ground and although she had suffered no injuries in the incident, father-of- two Takle, of Sampsons Road, Hartcliffe, was tracked down and charged with dangerous driving following the incident in January.
He pleaded guilty to the charge and yesterday a judge jailed him for six months.
CCTV footage released after the case shows Takle remonstrating with the attendant before storming back to his car. Ms Smith can be seen approaching the car and stooping down to talk to him, handing him a ticket before Takle closes the door and reverses out while Ms Smith and a colleague are still standing at the side of the space.
Paul Ricketts, prosecuting, said Ms Smith, who was working on behalf of Asda for private enforcement company Town and City Parking, spoke to Takle about the infringement and handed him the penalty ticket.
Parent and child spaces are reserved for people with babies and young children who need extra space to strap their youngsters into child seats.
Tickets issued to other drivers for using them are civil claims which have to be pursued through a county court, rather than an official fine.
The judge was shown the store's CCTV footage of Takle reversing from the spot and catching Ms Smith as his car swung sharply out.
David Chidgey, defending, said: "It is difficult not to be shocked by the driving, I have to accept that."
Mr Chidgey said it was clear his client was in a state of anger at the time and there could be no excuse either for that or the driving that followed.
He told the court: "It is only by good fortune there wasn't greater injury than there was.
"It was a very reckless piece of driving in a busy car park and he knows he will be punished for that."
The court heard Takle was had a number of previous convictions but they were not for similar offences.
Mr Chidgey said his client had worked in driving jobs since he was aged 17 and was aware he would not be able to drive for at least a year due to the conviction.
He said Takle had a partner who worked as a care worker, and children aged 14 and six who she would have to support while he was incarcerated.
Jailing Takle, Judge Mark Horton told him: "There is nothing in your history that reflects or aggravates the offence which you appear before this court in respect of, for which I have to sentence you. The difficulty is that this was an extremely dangerous piece of driving at a time when you completely and utterly lost reason, which I accept was out of character."
Takle was banned from driving for 15 months and ordered to pass an extended driving test before returning to the road.
Bristol Evening Post today:
Linky
A driver who knocked down a parking attendant who ticketed him for using a parent and child space has been sent to jail.
Martin Takle had left his Jaguar car in the marked bay at Asda in Bedminster when Jackie Smith handed him the £60 penalty charge notice, Bristol Crown Court heard.
The 36-year-old was so angry he veered sharply as he reversed his car out of the spot, catching Ms Smith with his front wing.
Ms Smith was knocked to the ground and although she had suffered no injuries in the incident, father-of- two Takle, of Sampsons Road, Hartcliffe, was tracked down and charged with dangerous driving following the incident in January.
He pleaded guilty to the charge and yesterday a judge jailed him for six months.
CCTV footage released after the case shows Takle remonstrating with the attendant before storming back to his car. Ms Smith can be seen approaching the car and stooping down to talk to him, handing him a ticket before Takle closes the door and reverses out while Ms Smith and a colleague are still standing at the side of the space.
Paul Ricketts, prosecuting, said Ms Smith, who was working on behalf of Asda for private enforcement company Town and City Parking, spoke to Takle about the infringement and handed him the penalty ticket.
Parent and child spaces are reserved for people with babies and young children who need extra space to strap their youngsters into child seats.
Tickets issued to other drivers for using them are civil claims which have to be pursued through a county court, rather than an official fine.
The judge was shown the store's CCTV footage of Takle reversing from the spot and catching Ms Smith as his car swung sharply out.
David Chidgey, defending, said: "It is difficult not to be shocked by the driving, I have to accept that."
Mr Chidgey said it was clear his client was in a state of anger at the time and there could be no excuse either for that or the driving that followed.
He told the court: "It is only by good fortune there wasn't greater injury than there was.
"It was a very reckless piece of driving in a busy car park and he knows he will be punished for that."
The court heard Takle was had a number of previous convictions but they were not for similar offences.
Mr Chidgey said his client had worked in driving jobs since he was aged 17 and was aware he would not be able to drive for at least a year due to the conviction.
He said Takle had a partner who worked as a care worker, and children aged 14 and six who she would have to support while he was incarcerated.
Jailing Takle, Judge Mark Horton told him: "There is nothing in your history that reflects or aggravates the offence which you appear before this court in respect of, for which I have to sentence you. The difficulty is that this was an extremely dangerous piece of driving at a time when you completely and utterly lost reason, which I accept was out of character."
Takle was banned from driving for 15 months and ordered to pass an extended driving test before returning to the road.
Six Fiend said:
Surely all he had to do was keep quiet, take it and then ignore it? Would have been a lot less bother. Utter numpty!
Bristol Evening Post today:
Linky
A driver who knocked down a parking attendant who ticketed him for using a parent and child space has been sent to jail.
Martin Takle had left his Jaguar car in the marked bay at Asda in Bedminster when Jackie Smith handed him the £60 penalty charge notice, Bristol Crown Court heard.
The 36-year-old was so angry he veered sharply as he reversed his car out of the spot, catching Ms Smith with his front wing.
Ms Smith was knocked to the ground and although she had suffered no injuries in the incident, father-of- two Takle, of Sampsons Road, Hartcliffe, was tracked down and charged with dangerous driving following the incident in January.
He pleaded guilty to the charge and yesterday a judge jailed him for six months.
CCTV footage released after the case shows Takle remonstrating with the attendant before storming back to his car. Ms Smith can be seen approaching the car and stooping down to talk to him, handing him a ticket before Takle closes the door and reverses out while Ms Smith and a colleague are still standing at the side of the space.
Paul Ricketts, prosecuting, said Ms Smith, who was working on behalf of Asda for private enforcement company Town and City Parking, spoke to Takle about the infringement and handed him the penalty ticket.
Parent and child spaces are reserved for people with babies and young children who need extra space to strap their youngsters into child seats.
Tickets issued to other drivers for using them are civil claims which have to be pursued through a county court, rather than an official fine.
The judge was shown the store's CCTV footage of Takle reversing from the spot and catching Ms Smith as his car swung sharply out.
David Chidgey, defending, said: "It is difficult not to be shocked by the driving, I have to accept that."
Mr Chidgey said it was clear his client was in a state of anger at the time and there could be no excuse either for that or the driving that followed.
He told the court: "It is only by good fortune there wasn't greater injury than there was.
"It was a very reckless piece of driving in a busy car park and he knows he will be punished for that."
The court heard Takle was had a number of previous convictions but they were not for similar offences.
Mr Chidgey said his client had worked in driving jobs since he was aged 17 and was aware he would not be able to drive for at least a year due to the conviction.
He said Takle had a partner who worked as a care worker, and children aged 14 and six who she would have to support while he was incarcerated.
Jailing Takle, Judge Mark Horton told him: "There is nothing in your history that reflects or aggravates the offence which you appear before this court in respect of, for which I have to sentence you. The difficulty is that this was an extremely dangerous piece of driving at a time when you completely and utterly lost reason, which I accept was out of character."
Takle was banned from driving for 15 months and ordered to pass an extended driving test before returning to the road.
Shirley the driver was entitled to park in that space? For all we know he might be a parent...and certainly acted like a child when he got the ticket Bristol Evening Post today:
Linky
A driver who knocked down a parking attendant who ticketed him for using a parent and child space has been sent to jail.
Martin Takle had left his Jaguar car in the marked bay at Asda in Bedminster when Jackie Smith handed him the £60 penalty charge notice, Bristol Crown Court heard.
The 36-year-old was so angry he veered sharply as he reversed his car out of the spot, catching Ms Smith with his front wing.
Ms Smith was knocked to the ground and although she had suffered no injuries in the incident, father-of- two Takle, of Sampsons Road, Hartcliffe, was tracked down and charged with dangerous driving following the incident in January.
He pleaded guilty to the charge and yesterday a judge jailed him for six months.
CCTV footage released after the case shows Takle remonstrating with the attendant before storming back to his car. Ms Smith can be seen approaching the car and stooping down to talk to him, handing him a ticket before Takle closes the door and reverses out while Ms Smith and a colleague are still standing at the side of the space.
Paul Ricketts, prosecuting, said Ms Smith, who was working on behalf of Asda for private enforcement company Town and City Parking, spoke to Takle about the infringement and handed him the penalty ticket.
Parent and child spaces are reserved for people with babies and young children who need extra space to strap their youngsters into child seats.
Tickets issued to other drivers for using them are civil claims which have to be pursued through a county court, rather than an official fine.
The judge was shown the store's CCTV footage of Takle reversing from the spot and catching Ms Smith as his car swung sharply out.
David Chidgey, defending, said: "It is difficult not to be shocked by the driving, I have to accept that."
Mr Chidgey said it was clear his client was in a state of anger at the time and there could be no excuse either for that or the driving that followed.
He told the court: "It is only by good fortune there wasn't greater injury than there was.
"It was a very reckless piece of driving in a busy car park and he knows he will be punished for that."
The court heard Takle was had a number of previous convictions but they were not for similar offences.
Mr Chidgey said his client had worked in driving jobs since he was aged 17 and was aware he would not be able to drive for at least a year due to the conviction.
He said Takle had a partner who worked as a care worker, and children aged 14 and six who she would have to support while he was incarcerated.
Jailing Takle, Judge Mark Horton told him: "There is nothing in your history that reflects or aggravates the offence which you appear before this court in respect of, for which I have to sentence you. The difficulty is that this was an extremely dangerous piece of driving at a time when you completely and utterly lost reason, which I accept was out of character."
Takle was banned from driving for 15 months and ordered to pass an extended driving test before returning to the road.
Is this the first and last time the parking attendant has been hit by flailing Takle?
6 months inside seems a bit harsh, I'd expect that for someone who actually caused injury. Having said that the reversing was malicious in intent, the guy didn't care where the attendant was or what injury s/he may have sustained.
15 months ban would've been a significant penalty for the guy I feel (and will still be once he is out in ~3 months).
15 months ban would've been a significant penalty for the guy I feel (and will still be once he is out in ~3 months).
What a classic PH thread! Only a few postings and already somebody is blaming the parking attendant for getting in the way of a heroic rebel motorist (it being taken as read, of course, that all motorists are always heroes, Jaaaaag or no Jaaaaag); and calling for the (usually derided) H and S rules to be used to "punish" someone; whilst others are merrily debating the pedantic minutiae of private parking charge enforcement!
On the subject of the sentence, which does seem rather on the firm side, although the guy behaved very badly, there seems to be a small emerging trend of disproportionate sentencing for relatively minor acts of very annoying stupidity. Gilmour Junior's prison term for a moment of student idiocy on a demo is one case in point, and the threat of a twelve week sentence for the idiotic bint who insulted the blind policeman is another.
I would sentence people such as these to spend a month or two picking up dogsh*t from pavements, or some such type of community service, in order to teach them that they are part of a society, and should behave like adults.
On the subject of the sentence, which does seem rather on the firm side, although the guy behaved very badly, there seems to be a small emerging trend of disproportionate sentencing for relatively minor acts of very annoying stupidity. Gilmour Junior's prison term for a moment of student idiocy on a demo is one case in point, and the threat of a twelve week sentence for the idiotic bint who insulted the blind policeman is another.
I would sentence people such as these to spend a month or two picking up dogsh*t from pavements, or some such type of community service, in order to teach them that they are part of a society, and should behave like adults.
^^^^ this. I agree entirely. Arse ofg the highest order & fully deserved all he got. The intent was clearly there & the fact that the attendant was (fortunately) not injured is only due to good fortune.
As for it being a P&C space, presume the land was owned by ASDA & as such they are perfectlty entitled to ticket cars which contravene there rules.
As for it being a P&C space, presume the land was owned by ASDA & as such they are perfectlty entitled to ticket cars which contravene there rules.
On reflection,the sentencing policy is presumably that the raging has to stop. The idea may be to send us all a message that we need to stop getting so angry at one another about trivial incidents. This was a variant of road rage, and, as noted above, a car can be a deadly weapon, especially when the driver loses his head whilst at the controls. Unreasonable rage seems to be common in all sorts of situations in C21 society - in hospitals, in supermarket lines, you name it. There is, as we have long known, something weird about cars, however, that can turn most of us at some point into a ranty, sweary rage monster. Has someone done a doctorate on this?
Breadvan73 said:
On reflection,the sentencing policy is presumably that the raging has to stop. The idea may be to send us all a message that we need to stop getting so angry at one another about trivial incidents. This was a variant of road rage, and, as noted above, a car can be a deadly weapon, especially when the driver loses his head whilst at the controls. Unreasonable rage seems to be common in all sorts of situations in C21 society - in hospitals, in supermarket lines, you name it. There is, as we have long known, something weird about cars, however, that can turn most of us at some point into a ranty, sweary rage monster. Has someone done a doctorate on this?
Dangerous Driving is a hot offence at the moment and there is growing pressure to increase the maximum to well over 2 years for it. I am not surprised when people are handed down what look like harsh sentences.Mind you, in this instance it's only luck that the victim was not badly injured by a man remonstrating about a (correctly issued, I presume) parking ticket.
The sentence is thoroughly deserved by the selfish moron who cares nothing about the needs of others or the safety and wellbeing of two people standing next to his car .
It would not have been surprising if he had also hit a passer by whilst reversing out in his strop . Had he parked properly by reversing into the space , he could have driven out without incident ; better still would have been not to have parked in a parent and child space in the first place .
If only more car parks were policed more robustly against misusers of parent & child or disabled bays as well as those who selfishly park across two bays .
It would not have been surprising if he had also hit a passer by whilst reversing out in his strop . Had he parked properly by reversing into the space , he could have driven out without incident ; better still would have been not to have parked in a parent and child space in the first place .
If only more car parks were policed more robustly against misusers of parent & child or disabled bays as well as those who selfishly park across two bays .
Symbolica said:
Anybody that tries to use their car as a weapon should never be allowed to drive one again. No ifs, no buts, you've proved that you can't be trusted.
Exactly .Chop off his right foot and that will stop his driving ambitions .
He could easily have crippled these two people - or worse .
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