A man was ‘very lucky’ to avoid prison over an attack on a driving instructor, a judge said.
31-year-old Che Lee-Cummins pleaded guilty to assault by beating in January. Returning to Swindon Magistrates’ Court in March, he was sentenced for his crime.
Prosecutor Asha Seenauth said the defendant was revving his engine unnecessarily when he was behind instructor Derek Finlay as he taught a teenage boy to drive.
She said that Lee-Cummins closed the gap between his vehicle and the learner car to a point it was “unsafe”. Mr Finlay used his right hand to give the ‘wait’ gesture.
However, the defendant overtook at speed before slamming on his breaks and coming to a complete stop. Mr Finlay was forced to emergency brake using the dual control pedal.
Lee-Cummins exited his vehicle and approached Mr Finlay while “looking furious”, Ms Seenauth said. He shouted “get out the car” and tried to open his car door.
Mr Finlay opened his door to talk to the defendant, but he continued to tell him to get out of the car and threatened to punch him. He proceeded to punch the instructor in the face.
Immediately after the incident, which happened on the A4 in the Corsham area on 4 November 2022, Lee-Cummins is said to have run off back to his car and driven away.
Mr Finlay suffered a bleeding nose and broken tooth as a result of the road rage assault. A photograph shown to the court showed half a central incisor missing.
In a victim personal statement, he said that his “first and foremost concern was my pupil”, adding that the defendant was “fully intending violence”.
Mr Finlay said that the attack was “deeply distressing” and he is now “anxious when anyone shows aggression on the road”.
District Judge Joanna Dickens told Lee-Cummins, of Nasturtium Grove, Melksham, that “road rage incidents are incredibly serious” – especially when they involve a “powerfully built man”.
She said: “Their pupils are trying to learn how to drive, and most are actually doing it correctly, there are going slower and with caution.
“It is extremely terrifying when you confront other road users on the road like this… not only terrifying, but humiliating.”
Judge Dickens ordered the defendant – who claimed to earn more than £16,000 a month, to pay £3,000 compensation to Mr Finlay within 28 days.
When Lee-Cummins said he is unable to pay the money within 28 days, she replied: “You can borrow it, you’re very lucky not to go to prison for this… you have to pay it one lump sum.”
