Payments ruled out for two road rage victims
Emotional harm reparations were ruled out for a father and his 12-year-old daughter who were the victims of 35-year-old Luke Malcolm Geldard’s road rage assaults.
Police sought the payments at Geldard’s Christchurch District Court sentencing on six charges, but Judge Tony Couch said he was only allowed to order reparation payments where they were feasible.
Geldard is now not working and his income is a Australian returned serviceman’s pension.
Judge Couch ordered him to pay $5867 for the damage he did to the other man’s car, but declined the request for emotional harm reparations. Geldard will have to pay the damage reparations by instalments.
Geldard was removed from the Australia-New Zealand cricket test at Hagley Oval in February and complained that the police did not charge the security guard who pushed him in the face during the incident. Police intervened when he resisted leaving the ground, and officers described him as “intoxicated and argumentative”.
Twelve days after that, Geldard became drunk at a wine and food festival in North Canterbury, and drove back to Christchurch with his partner and three-month-old child in the car.
He drove too fast through Belfast, swerving, passing on the left, tailgating, and collided with the median strip. That caused him to lose control.
He then continued and tailgated another vehicle, which he rear-ended as it slowed for a traffic light.
There was an argument, and members of the public tried to stop him leaving because of his driving.
He drove away at speed on the road shoulder, dangerously close to the other driver, police said.
The other driver followed and phoned the police. Geldard then stopped, shouted at the other driver and punched him through his window.
The driver backhanded Geldard whose nose began to bleed. Geldard spat blood and spittle several times through the open window, where it landed on the driver and his 12-year-old daughter in the passenger seat. She became hysterical because of the continuing attack on her father.
When the victim drove off, Geldard kicked the panels of his car.
A police test showed Geldard had 183mg of alcohol to 100ml of blood – more than twice the legal limit.
Judge Couch sentenced him to 250 hours of community work, 10 months supervision with a special condition to participate in a course for alcohol issues, disqualification from driving for 10 months, and reparations for the damage.
As the judge put aside the file on the case, Geldard said: “It is not quite as thick as my military medical file, sir.”
“I have no idea what you are talking about, but you can stand down,” said the judge.
Geldard had admitted dangerous driving, drink-driving, three charges of assault, and wilful damage.
Category: News
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