A young woman was punched by a furious pedestrian after she tried to defend her dad during a road rage attack. Jessica Lound, who is in her 20s, was attacked by Lee Hale after she leapt to her father’s aid when Hale tried to drag him out his car window, a court heard.
Jessica was in the front passenger seat with her dad, Adrian, driving home from work in Warrington on March 17 this year. Hale, a construction worker, was walking his own daughter home when he stepped in front of the vehicle.
Mr Lound had to “slam on the brakes” to avoid hitting Hale, 50. He stuck his head out of the window to yell at the pedestrian, who responded by attacking him, Manchester Evening News reports.
Jessica scrambled out of the car to try and split up the “unseemly scuffle” but Hale punched her during the melee. She was uninjured in the brawl but Hale’s daughter was left with a black eye after being “buffeted around and pushed” during the rammy.
Kassem Noureddine, prosecuting, told Warrington Magistrates’ Court: “Mr Lound had to slam on the brakes due to Mr Hale walking into the road. As he has done so, Mr Lound stuck his head out the window and shouted at Mr Hale.
“The defendant reacted aggressively and came up to the vehicle, punched him in the head and tried to pull him out of the window. The daughter had to get out of the vehicle. An altercation happened including Mr Lound and his daughter being punched a few more times.”
Hale denied assaulting Jessica and using threatening behaviour, but was convicted after a trial. He was ordered to complete a year-long community order and was fined £180, with £439 in costs and a victim surcharge. Ms Lound and her dad both declined to testify at the hearing.
In mitigation for Hale, defence lawyer Gary Heaven said the dad mistakenly believed he was walking at a pedestrian crossing. He added: ”Mr Hale was put out to the extent he believed that Mr Lound had sped up but more to the point, Mr Hale was with his daughter. He felt that she was put at risk as a consequence of the way Mr Lound was driving.”
Mr Heaven said Hale denied punching Mr Lound through the window. He said: “Ms Lound did not present as a particularly helpful witness. Although she had made a statement and indicated that her intention was to support the prosecution, she did not attend the court for the trial and as a consequence the Crown was wholly reliant on an independent witness who could see the incident from a distance.
“His evidence was accepted by the court, which said there had been a physical confrontation between the two men. Mr Hale’s daughter had been buffeted around and pushed and suffered a black eye as a consequence.
“The defendant may have had some justification for acting in the manner that he did, but the basis of the conviction was that it was excessive self-defence. Regarding the question of harm, thankfully even though a punch occurred, Ms Lound suffered no injury.”
Mr Heaven added: “We are not at the state of affairs where we have a defendant with a string of convictions for violence. He has to concede he carried on a verbal argument. What was clear was that Mr Lound was giving it large as far as the verbals were concerned. Overall it was an unseemly business and my client has to accept that.”
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