Court hears how car park rage broke out at concert
10:40am Monday 28th May 2012 in News
A COACH driver could go to prison following a road rage drama at aBroadlands pop concert featuring Roger Daltrey, of The Who.
Timothy Swanborough, 43, pictured right, of Magnolia Road, Merry Oak, Southampton, admitted causing actual bodily harm following the incident in July..
Salesman, Clive Melin, suffered temporary paralysis after landing on his neck as crowds tried to leave the gig.
Mr Melin told Southampton Crown Court that he and his son had accepted a lift from friends, but their Range Rover was not making much headway as they edged out of the car park.
After five minutes, he got out of the vehicle and walked in front of it to stop a car from his right, so they could enter the traffic flow.
“The next thing I remember was flying through the air and I was knocked backwards with my neck hitting the ground first,” he said.
“I think I must have passed out, because everything went very quiet and very dark. When I came to, I realised I couldn’t move my arms. They were spread out.”
He said feelings came back to his legs and right arm quickly, but he could not move his left arm for about a minute.
He was carried on a stretcher to an ambulance, which took him to hospital, where he was detained overnight.
When he was discharged, he said he was suffering from pains in his chest, which later got worse and he could not sleep. Following a consultation with his doctor, he was given an injection in his neck.
Jurors have heard from a woman bystander who saw Mr Melin fighting with Timothy Swanborough.
They went to the ground, where Swanborough alleg-edly kicked him three or four times to the back.
He then walked off back towards his car, but returned and while Mr Melin lay motionless, kicked him twice more.
Under cross-examination, Mr Melin denied he was angry and that he had gone to the other driver’s door and lunged at him. “There was no fight. I was knocked through the air. I didn’t know where he came from.”
Swanborough accepted that by kicking him twice, he had gone over the top in self-defence.
He denied causing grievous bodily harm with intent and attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent and was acquitted of both charges.
The coach mechanic/driver said the Range Rover driver had tried to “bully” his way into a gap in front of him. When the other vehicle’s doors opened, he got out to see what was happening. He claimed Mr Melin came at him “shouting and screaming” and lunged at him.
They grabbed each other and he swung him to his left to protect himself, but lost his footing on the wet grass and they fell to the ground, he said.
As he got up, Swanborough said he might have kicked him, but it was unintentional.
He said: “I was absolutely shocked. It was unbelievable anything like this should happen on a treat night out. I am not an aggressive person.”
“I accept I overstepped the mark, but it was totally out of character.”
Judge Peter Henry adjourned sentence with all options to June 6.
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