A road rage hit-and-run driver knocked over a fuel deliveryman at the Sainsbury’s filling station in Dundee.
Former taxi driver David Nicol has been banned from the road for five years after being snared by his own dashcam footage.
He lost the rag after finding part of the Sainsbury’s forecourt coned-off for a delivery.
After falling out with the tanker driver, Dundee dad Nicol clipped him with his car and fled the station in March 2022.
The 52-year-old’s solicitor said his client was struggling after his wife died of Covid-19 in May 2020.
Widower Nicol complained at the time to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, alleging Dundee City Council staff made insensitive comments at his wife’s graveside.
Tanker tantrum
Forfar Sheriff Court heard tanker driver Christopher Thomson arrived at the supermarket filling station on Tom Johnston Road at around 7pm on March 1 2022 to deliver fuel.
Part of the station forecourt was blocked off with orange cones to ensure the driver was able to exit if there was an emergency.
Nicol arrived in his Vauxhall Astra and parked in front of the cones, blocking Mr Thomson.
He stood at a fuel pump and Mr Thomson approached to explain he had to move.
Mr Thomson then entered the shop to organise the delivery’s paperwork but when he exited, Nicol was in the same place.
Mr Thomson got in his truck cab and Nicol approached with his phone pointed at the trucker, who believed he was being filmed.
He told Nicol, “two can play at that” and exited the cab before trying to take a photo.
Collision
Nicol got in his car, around six feet from Mr Thomson, revved his engine loudly, accelerated sharply and turned to exit the forecourt.
Mr Thomson was unable to get out the way and was struck by the front right-side of Nicol’s Astra, causing him to fall to his knees against the car.
Nicol stopped, reversed and again revved his engine before accelerating sharply – causing his tyres to spin – and driving off.
The entire incident was witnessed by other people at the filling station.
Nicol was later traced at his own house, where police seized his dashcam.
He told officers he was unhappy with the tanker driver’s attitude.
In court, first offender Nicol, of Happyhillock Walk in Dundee, pled guilty to driving dangerously.
Toiling with wife’s death
His solicitor John Boyle explained his client – now unemployed due to health difficulties – had lost his wife after she was diagnosed with Covid-19.
“It appears he was struggling with her death at the time of the commission of this offence,” he said.
“It’s in an area where there would have been other people in close proximity to the vehicle.
“It’s accepted that this is a very serious matter. He’s aware he will be disqualified for a significant period.”
‘Gross misuse of a vehicle’
As well as the driving ban, Sheriff Mungo Bovey imposed 270 hours of unpaid work to be completed in a year and imposed a restriction of liberty order to keep Nicol at home between 7pm and 7am for six months.
He said: “It’s driving a car in a road rage – not out on the open road where a man might have been killed – but it’s still a gross misuse of a vehicle.
“I’m not sure that you fully appreciate the seriousness of the offence but I’m going to try and put it to you.
“I regard this kind of offence as generally calling for a custodial sentence.
“You are fortunate that you are not going to jail.
“That is partly because of your plea of guilty and partly because you have previously been of good behaviour.”
Funeral handling issues
Nicol hit headlines with concerns over the handling of his wife’s funeral during the pandemic.
His wife Patricia died in May 2020 after she contracted Covid-19 while being treated for cancer at Ninewells.
He complained that at her funeral, the casket was taken from the hearse by parks department employees, none of whom wore PPE.
Nicol said he and his daughter were asked to leave the graveside and a JCB moved in, poised to fill the grave, before they had left the cemetery.
After complaining locally, Nicol raised his concerns with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
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