A former police officer has been fined after shouting abuse at a woman in a row over parking in Dundee.
Darren Moore, 44, then damaged the woman’s car while reversing out of the street in Dundee following the heated confrontation.
Moore admitted behaving abusively during the incident in which he was heard to shout: “You’re a f***ing stupid woman”.
It was the ex-police constable’s third conviction in as many years, following two previous court cases for child assault.
Moore was hit with a fine after admitting two charges on Thursday, avoiding a trial at Dundee Sheriff Court.
Sheriff Donald Ferguson said: “I think there probably is an anger management issue behind all of this.
“This isn’t the way to go about things. This was wrong to have a shouting match in the street.”
Parking dispute
The court was told how the woman had parked her car on a street in the West End area of the city in order to pick up her granddaughter from school.
Moore was parked behind her and things escalated when it became clear he was unable to get past.
Moore possesses a blue badge for disabilities and was parked on double yellow lines at the time.
“The accused pulled alongside her and got out of his vehicle and began shouting and swearing at her,” fiscal depute Sarah High said.
“He was shouting along the lines of ‘you’re a f***ing stupid woman’ and ‘you’re a stupid f***ing c***.’
“An argument ensued backwards and forwards about where the complainer was parked and whether or not that was an appropriate place to be parked.”
Moore got back into his vehicle and reversed, striking the side of the woman’s vehicle and causing damage to the driver’s side bumper.
He left the scene and the woman reported the matter to the police.
‘Failings on both sides’
Moore, of Buttars Road, admitted careless driving and shouting and swearing on March 22 2023.
He had initially been charged with dangerous driving.
Defence solicitor Zoe Lyburn said Moore had asked to woman to move her car but she refused.
She said Moore – who now works 60 hours per week with a befriending service – was also confronted by the woman’s adult daughter.
Mrs Lyburn said: “She was in the front passenger seat and she also got out of her vehicle and started having discussions with Mr Moore.
“He felt that there were failings on both sides here but two wrongs don’t make a right.
“He was the one who was charged and accepts his culpability.”
Mrs Lyburn said the woman’s vehicle suffered “minor” damage.
Sheriff Ferguson fined him a total of £570 and placed five points on his driving licence.
Past convictions
In 2021, Moore was found guilty of striking an autistic child on the face during a row during a children’s football game in 2019.
He also tried to bite an adult in similar circumstances, as well as punching them on the head and body following an incident on Donald’s Lane in Dundee.
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