Road rage husband jailed after using car as battering ram (From Daily Echo)
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Road rage husband jailed after using car as battering ram
11:00am Saturday 9th February 2013 in News
The incident at the Esso garage in Totton
WHEN driver Stephen Baker saw his estranged wife with her new lover in another car he simply “lost it”.
He gave chase and used the 4x4 he was driving as a “battering ram”
while tailgating the couple. But the 15-minute ordeal eventually ended in a crash when Baker followed the pair into a petrol station and rammed the other car into a petrol pump and into another car.
Southampton Crown Court, sitting in Winchester, heard how “a red mist descended” on Baker, who was distressed by the break-up of his 26-year marriage, when he saw wife Donna with her new boyfriend Mark Barnes.
Driving his Mitsubishi he began tailgating the couple in their white Ford Focus for some distance before following them on to the Esso petrol station forecourt in Totton. There, he chased them around the petrol pumps while his son and daughter were both in the car.
Dramatic footage of the incident, which happened just after lunchtime on October 30 last year, was played to the court and showed Baker’s car being reversed at speed towards them.
A garage worker described howshe heard a “horrific metal on metal noise” and feared there was about to be an explosion as Baker rammed into Mr Barnes’ car, pushing it sideways into the fuel pumps.
The woman then watched in horror as the Mitsubishi continued to follow the Focus towards the roundabout near the town’s Asda store before ramming it again – sending them head-first into oncoming traffic on Ringwood Road.
Prosecutor Eleanor Fargin told the court that some of the drama was relayed to police during a 999 call as it happened, before Mr Barnes managed to get away and park up safely.
Defending, Unyime Davis said Baker, of Palm Road, Southampton, had gone through 11 weeks of turmoil trying to save what had been an “extremely happy marriage” and he “lost it” when he felt he was being mocked.
He was devastated because his wife had “entirely turned her back” on their children, including their 20- year-old son who has learning difficulties and for whom she was his dedicated carer, she added.
The court was told that before the split, Baker had been forced to call police several times because of concerns over his wife’s behaviour and more recently she had been virtually harassing him and other members of the family and had been spoken to by police.
Judge Guy Boney said it was an unusual case and although there was a high degree of provocation he had no choice but to send Baker, who had pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, to prison for four months.
He described the 46-year-old’s behaviour behind the wheel as “appalling” and dangerous and said the most serious moment came when he pushed the car into a lane of oncoming traffic, telling Baker: “It’s no thanks to you that a serious pileup didn’t occur.”
Baker was also ordered to pay £250 compensation to Mr Barnes, was banned from driving for 15 months and is also the subject of a restraining order banning contact with Donna Baker.
Comments(16)
bernard7
says...
11:25am Sat 9 Feb 13
massimoosti
says...
11:32am Sat 9 Feb 13
For pity sake
says...
11:40am Sat 9 Feb 13
massimoosti wrote:If he was the boyfriend it's not surprising he wanted to get away...
So what about the 2nd fella jumped out of the passenger seat chasing on foot ?
userds5050
says...
12:28pm Sat 9 Feb 13
For pity sake wrote:Eh, what video were you watching? He gets out of the passenger seat of the 4x4, runs over to the Focus before chasing after the 4x4.
massimoosti wrote:If he was the boyfriend it's not surprising he wanted to get away...
So what about the 2nd fella jumped out of the passenger seat chasing on foot ?
Stillness
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12:47pm Sat 9 Feb 13
sparkster
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2:59pm Sat 9 Feb 13
nemesis85
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10:46pm Sat 9 Feb 13
Stillness
says...
11:08pm Sat 9 Feb 13
nemesis85 wrote:And with any luck you would get the same or worse sentence. Still I guess if he gets to read your post it may give him some comfort to know that at least one other person is as monumentally thick as he is.
fair play to the bloke i would of done the same or worse.
elvisimo
says...
11:15pm Sat 9 Feb 13
P.s. what happens to the son if mrs **** has done a runner and hubby has been banged up. Nice people
wake up
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11:21pm Sat 9 Feb 13
sparkster
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11:43pm Sat 9 Feb 13
rudolph_hucker
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7:04am Sun 10 Feb 13
wake up wrote:Well no wonder she left him if this is how he behaves, his actions show she made the smart decision, what a nutter. He's not only lost his wife but also his freedom and has to pay the bloke who's now doing her £250 - that'll hurt.
being married for 26 years and his wife just going off leaving him for another man is enough to drive anyone over the edge, at least nobody got hurt ,, most men would be angry & emotional & lose it,,, broken hearts create mixed emotions of both love & hate ,, sad really after 26 years ... surprised they didnt go on the jeremy kyle show,,,
ilogik_23
says...
12:16pm Sun 10 Feb 13
wake up wrote:Well written indeed... Just not so sure about the last bit though and Jeremy Kyle..If they were 20 years younger and were both on drugs then maybe so... Sad all round, but that's what love and emotion CAN do.... Oh dear me...
being married for 26 years and his wife just going off leaving him for another man is enough to drive anyone over the edge, at least nobody got hurt ,, most men would be angry & emotional & lose it,,, broken hearts create mixed emotions of both love & hate ,, sad really after 26 years ... surprised they didnt go on the jeremy kyle show,,,
kingnotail
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11:27pm Sun 10 Feb 13
Tone
says...
4:14pm Mon 11 Feb 13
kingnotail wrote:Good generalisation there, I'm sure it'll stand up to scrutiny.
Anyone that drives a 4x4 is a c**t anyway, so why so surprised?
rudolph_hucker says...
11:08am Sat 9 Feb 13
he got off lightly