Jason Proudfoot: Coutts Crossing man sentenced for assault after Grafton road rage fight
A horticulturist stopped his car in the middle of a busy Clarence Valley intersection, sparking a nasty road rage blue, which has landed him in court. Here’s what happened.
Grafton
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A horticulturist stopped his car in the middle of one of Grafton’s busiest intersections, sparking an ugly road rage fight.
Coutts Crossing man Jason Proudfoot fronted Grafton Local Court on Monday, pleading guilty to common assault.
The 56-year-old was driving north on Villers St, approaching the Fitzroy St roundabout in the centre of Grafton just before 3pm on June 7, court documents state.
Proudfoot stopped his car to speak to a “bystander” for about a minute and a man driving behind him “beeped his horn for about one second”.
In response, Proudfoot drove to the roundabout, stopped his car and walked up to the other motorist.
Proudfoot asked the man “what’s your problem?”, according to police facts.
The man replied: “I just got to get back to work.”
Proudfoot “flicked” the man’s nose and he responded by punching Proudfoot on the nose.
Proudfoot exclaimed “you hit me” before he began to beat the man.
“(He then) proceeds to punch the victim two to three times, once in the forehead causing bleeding, once in the left cheek causing soreness, swelling and redness,” the documents state.
Defence lawyer Anne-Alece Johnston told the court Proudfoot stopped in the middle of the traffic because he noticed a digger on the back of a ute and wanted to ask if it was a good brand because he was considering buying one for work.
Ms Johnston acknowledged her client’s actions caused motorists to become frustrated.
She told the court the man who Proudfoot attacked had followed him.
“He punched my client in the nose and my client retaliates,” Ms Johnston said.
“Everything just went completely pear-shaped.”
Ms Johnston said Proudfoot was a single dad diagnosed with clinical depression.
Magistrate Juliana Crofts said Proudfoot entered an early guilty plea and had a limited criminal history.
“However on first blush, the facts do make for difficult reading,” she said.
“The way it all escalated - and your behaviour was completely inappropriate.”
Proudfoot was convicted and fined $500.
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