Insane moment furious motorist pushes over pensioner in road rage spat
Mark King saw red after Robert Venus, 78, clipped his vehicle's wing mirror as he merged into his lane on the A2 near Gravesend, Kent
The moment a lorry driver lost his temper and pushed a pensioner over in a road rage incident was captured in a shocking video.
Mark King, 63, became irate after Robert Venus, 78, accidentally clipped his vehicle's wing mirror while merging into his lane on the A2 near Gravesend, Kent. The older man suffered back injuries after falling into the open door of his vehicle.
King has since been slapped with a fine exceeding £400 after pleading guilty to assault in court. The incident took place in January this year amidst heavy traffic caused by roadworks on the A2, which had reduced three lanes to one.
Medway Magistrates' Court heard that Mr Venus had signalled to merge into King's lane but ended up clipping his wing mirror in the process. Dashcam footage from King's lorry captured the enraged driver shouting and swearing at Mr Venus before exiting his vehicle to confront him.
The court was told that Mr Venus also got out of his vehicle, leading to a brief exchange before King forcefully pushed him. The push was so strong that the pensioner lost his footing and stumbled back into the open door of his black pickup truck.
Prosecutor Rajni Prashar explained: "There was slow-moving traffic and his artic [lorry] vehicle was in lane three. There was a gap and Mr Venus indicated to the driver of the vehicle he was moving into the lane in front of him."
Miss Prashar further noted that despite Mr Venus clipping King's wing mirror, there was no damage to the lorry. She told the court: "It was then the victim stepped out of his vehicle. [After being pushed], Mr Venus fell back and almost missed the car door... [he] was injured."
Mr Venus experienced severe pain from the impact, requiring painkillers and hospital visits due to his injuries. He has also struggled with sleep since the incident, the court heard.
King, from Polgate in East Sussex, admitted assaulting Mr Venus, an act made worse by the fact that his victim was elderly and vulnerable. Lewis Holloway, defending, informed the court of his client's remorse over the incident.
"[King] was not very happy that particular evening and he had let a number of people in the lane," said Mr Holloway.
"Mr Venus tried to get in and [King] carried on driving, but Mr Venus then swerved into the lane at an angle and hit [King's] vehicle. [King] got out and pushed him. He should not have done it, but I think it can be dealt with by way of a conditional discharge or a fine; it was simply a push."
Mr Holloway added that King had no previous convictions for violence and that he was unemployed when he appeared in court last month. Magistrates told King his actions were unnecessary and fined him £120 for the offence.
He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £48 and £85 court costs. King was additionally ordered to pay Mr Venus £150 compensation.
