Graham Massie fronts Geelong court over Uber driver assault

A man became enraged and attacked his Uber driver after he did not stop talking on his phone during a short trip.

An Uber driver was assaulted after he refused to get off the phone during a ride.

A Breakwater man has attacked an Uber driver after he refused to get off the phone during his ride.

Graham Massie pleaded guilty to assaulting the driver in the Geelong Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

The court heard Massie ordered an Uber from Breakwater and was heading to nearby Armstrong Creek at 10pm on January 20, 2022.

Massie got into the car and his driver was on the phone during the trip.

He asked the driver to stop talking on the phone.

Graham Massie appeared before Geelong Court on Tuesday.

The driver continued to talk on the phone after the request.

Massie then grabbed the seatbelt of the driver, pulling it tight.

The scared driver slammed on the breaks and rushed out of the car.

He desperately flagged down other motorists for help.

Massie fled the scene on foot.

The driver reported the assault to police.

Investigators located a dark-coloured beanie left inside the car.

Police found Massie after tracing his Uber account.

When questioned about the incident, he denied assaulting the driver.

Massie, who works as a carpenter, did not offer an explanation for his offending in court.

Magistrate Peter Mallas told Massie to “pull his head in”.

“If he is not doing the right thing that is not for you to act on,” Mr Mallas said.

“On Uber you give them a poor rating, you don’t take it upon yourself to fix his behaviour.”

Mr Mallas fined Massie $1000 without conviction for the assault.

Originally published as Graham Massie fronts Geelong court over Uber driver assault