Man fined for road-rage
A Tauranga engineer who punched another motorist during a roadrage type incident has been fined $300 plus $132 court costs, and ordered to pay his victim $300 reparation.
Jana Ramihana Pihama, 35, pleaded guilty to a charge of assault.
He appeared in Tauranga District Court yesterday.
The charge stems from traffic-related incident in Aerodrome Rd at about 12.30pm on August 16, which occurred near Tauranga Airport close to the two men's workplaces.
The court was told that as result of the heated dispute, an irate Pihama followed the other man to his workplace and punched him in the left temple, resulting in minor bruising.
The victim was not known to Pihama.
Pihama told police the other man had "wound him up''.
Judge Peter Rollo told Pihama that his behaviour was totally unacceptable.
"If people all went around punching up other drivers after some kind of driving altercation on the streets of Tauranga, half the city would be throwing blows at one another,'' the judge said.
Pihama was ordered to pay the reparation to his victim at $30 a week.
