Joe McLoughlin, 46: Mosman architect convicted of road rage bashing over beach car spot
A stoush over who had the right to a car-parking spot at a busy Sydney beach ended with a North Shore architect charged with punching a driver in the head. See what happened in court.
Manly
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An angry north shore architect bashed another driver in a road rage assault over a carparking space at a busy Sydney beach.
Joe McLoughlin, 46, of Mosman, punched the victim, who was sitting behind the wheel of his car at the time, three times in the face on a Sunday afternoon at popular Balmoral Beach.
Manly Local Court heard on Thursday that McLoughlin, who arrived in Australia from Ireland 12 years ago, believed he was next in line for a car spot that was just about to be vacated by another vehicle at 12.10pm on March 19.
But the Jeep Cherokee-driving McLoughlin got into a verbal stoush with the 33-year-old male victim, who also thought he should be the next driver to claim the beachfront parking space on The Esplanade.
In a facts sheet tendered to court police stated that the victim had pulled up on the “very busy” The Esplanade, waiting for a car to leave a space.
The victim saw McLoughlin approach that car before he yelled to the victim “Is that your spot.” The victim said “yes”, according to the police facts.
McLoughlin then drove his Jeep in front of the victim’s car and began reversing towards it “almost hitting” it in an attempt to make the victim move his car.
The accused then got out the Jeep and went to the victim’s driver’s side door and leaned down and said “Now listen, when you park your car there, will you come up here so we can have it out behind the bush.
“I’m not fighting you here in public.
“I want to smash your face, up here.”
The court heard that McLoughlin then punched, with a closed fist, the victim three times in the mouth.
He then yelled “I’ll smash your f****** face in” before getting in his car and driving off.
The victim had filmed McLoughlin on his mobile phone and handed the footage to Chatswood Police.
In a letter to the court McLoughlin, who pleaded guilty to one count of common assault, wrote that he was concerned the victim was going to start a fight.
“I am not a violent person at all and admit that I suffered a … lapse of judgment and made a terrible mistake here.”
He wrote that he believed he was first to claim the car space about to be vacated by a young family.
“As soon as I hit him, I immediately felt regret and remorse.”
His solicitor Daniel Wakim said that McLoughlin accepted full responsibility for the “foolishness of his actions”.
“In all circumstances, it was completely out of character,” Mr Wakim said.
Magistrate John McIntosh told McLoughlin it was a “serious offence”.
He was handed a Community Correction Order to be of good behaviour for 12 months and fined $1000.
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