A man who subjected a car full of golfing pals to a “serious piece of road rage” has been banned from the road for six months.
Barry McRae was in a bad mood after a fall-out with his mother when a vehicle cut in front of him at a roundabout in Forfar.
He saw red and tailed the car out of town before eventually stopping in front of it and getting out to confront the driver, swearing and waving his fist at him.
The frightened occupants kept the windows of their vehicle closed and phoned police, and McRae was told by a sheriff that he had been fortunate not to be the subject of a dangerous driving charge.
McRae, 27, of Market Street, Brechin, admitted driving carelessly in Forfar and on the A926 Forfar to Kirriemuir road on July 14, and behaving in a threatening manner after approaching a vehicle.
Fiscal depute Hannah Kennedy said the 24-year-old victim of the accused’s road rage was a stranger to the area and was on his way to a golf event when he cut in front of McRae at a roundabout in Forfar’s Castle Street.
“It appears that the accused became enraged and it is clear that he was driving repeatedly close behind the complainer, braking, and then overtook him before repeatedly putting on his brakes,” the fiscal added.
At one point the accused braked so sharply that the complainer hit the towbar of his vehicle.
“Both vehicles then stopped and the accused started to shout and raise his fist as if he wanted to engage in a fight,” the fiscal added.
“All the witnesses in the vehicle were frightened by the conduct and they kept the windows up and called police.”
Defence agent Brian Bell said: “This clearly must have caused fear and alarm to the occupiers of the other vehicle.
“His weak explanation for the incident was that he had fallen out with his mum and he told social workers that he was in a rage.”
Sheriff Kevin Veal said: “His record seems to show a constant flouting of the road traffic act provisions. This was quite a serious piece of road rage.”
McRae was also made the subject of a 12-month community payback order which will include supervision and anger management provisions.