Tavis Pringle: Road rager attacked, abused Indian driver

A Chelsea landscaper was all cut up about being cut off and lost the plot. Now he’s lost his licence and a fair bit of his free time.

Tavis Pringle smashed a car window and called another motorist an “Indian c**t” in a violent road rage attack.

A ranting road rager called another motorist an “Indian c**t” and smashed his car window, showering him in shards of glass and leaving him with cuts all over his face.

Tavis James Pringle abused and attacked the other man before running back to his car and driving away.

But the 41 year-old Chelsea landscaper, who didn’t have a valid licence at the time, reckons he didn’t racially vilify the other man and must have been misheard.

Pringle pleaded guilty to unlawful assault and unlicensed driving at the online Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

The court heard at 3pm on May 26 last year Pringle was nearly in a bingle when his Mitsubishi ute was cut off by a Toyota Corolla in Bennet St, Dandenong.

The other driver had changed lanes without indicating and when they both stopped for traffic Pringle angrily jumped out of his car.

He went up to the other driver’s side window and gestured at him to get out.

He grabbed the door handles and tried to get inside the vehicle while yelling “you don’t know how to drive, you Indian c**t”.

He then banged on the glass so hard it shattered, causing shards to hit the man’s head and leave him with cuts all over his face.

Witnesses had heard the kerfuffle and as they came out of nearby buildings Pringle ran off, got in his ute and sped away.

When he was later interviewed by police he admitted breaking the window, saying as soon as that happened “I knew I had f***ed up” so left the scene.

His defence lawyer said while he admitted causing the glass to shatter, he denied any racial overtones.

She said he believed he called him an “idiot” and did not refer to the victim’s nationality in any way.

At the time he was unaware his licence had expired, she said, and he immediately renewed it once he was made aware.

She said he was remorseful, happy to pay for the damage, and realised he had lost his temper unnecessarily.

Magistrate Andrew Halse said Pringle’s “quite clear his level of anger on this occasion was extreme” and totally unacceptable.

“He has a distinct lack of insight into his offending, astonishingly so,” Mr Halse said.

“He sees himself as the victim when he is the perpetrator of a serious road rage incident.

“He seems aggrieved and asserts the victim cut him off; that does not excuse the behaviour he has undertaken (afterwards).”

Pringle was ordered to do a 12-month community corrections order with 120 hours of unpaid work and driver programs.

His licence was also disqualified for three months and he must pay $270 compensation to the other man for the broken glass.