January 24th 2024.
Two women recently found themselves in court after their heated road rage dispute caused a scene and was captured on camera. Sarah Hammond and Anne Heritage got into a heated argument after Hammond believed Heritage had performed an unsafe overtaking maneuver on a 30mph road in Bournemouth, Dorset back in March of last year. The situation quickly escalated and eventually turned physical, with the two women ending up brawling on the ground. Both were charged with assault and faced each other again in Poole magistrates court.
According to reports, the incident took place on Castle Lane West around 1pm when Heritage, 65, overtook Hammond's car. As Heritage attempted to merge back into the lane, Hammond, 45, intentionally sped up to prevent her from doing so. This led to a shouting match between the two drivers, with Hammond shouting insults at the older driver before kicking her car's door multiple times with her Ugg-like boots. Heritage then got out of her car and a physical fight broke out between the two women, with onlookers watching in shock.
Heritage claimed that she was the victim in the situation and had only lashed out in self-defense after Hammond punched her in the head and pulled out a clump of her hair. However, a video captured by a bystander on his phone showed a different story. The footage showed Hammond being held down on the ground by an 80-year-old male passenger in her car while Heritage kicked her three times. It was also revealed that Hammond had her 12-year-old son in the car with her at the time of the incident.
Eventually, the police charged both women over the altercation. Hammond, from Poole, admitted her part in the road rage and agreed to be bound over to keep the peace for 12 months. Heritage, from Bridgewater in Somerset, denied the assault charge but was found guilty after a half-day trial. Her passenger, Roy Franklin, was not charged in the incident.
Representing Hammond in court, Paul Legg stated, "This is a rather unusual case where two people were charged. Both said there's a victim and an aggressor, and the Crown didn't pick a side and charged both parties. Sarah Hammond has always accepted that she kicked out on one occasion as Ms. Heritage sat in her car, but there has never been evidence from anyone other than Anne Heritage that Mrs. Hammond punched her."
Heritage, on the other hand, claimed that the driving incident "wasn't a big deal" and she was confused as to why Hammond reacted the way she did. She explained, "I had to get in front of her, which seemed to enrage her. I noticed that she followed me. I stopped at traffic lights, and somebody came bounding up to my car and started kicking the door. [After getting out of the car], I thought I might fall down. I knew I wasn't going to be able to defend myself and said 'Roy, help me, help me'. She grabbed my hair and ripped it out, and I now have about 25% hair loss."
She continued, "I tried to put my hands on her hands to stop her, but I wasn't successful, and she was kicking me. Roy came around and pulled her to the ground. I tried to kick towards her, but I didn't actually connect with her. I kicked out three or four times, but none of my kicks connected to her."
In the end, Heritage was found guilty by presiding magistrate Darren Howe, who told her, "Whoever was in the wrong, without any damage to a vehicle or injury, it's best to just let it go. Kicking or attempting to kick the victim while she was held on the ground was not necessary to defend herself." Heritage was given a conditional discharge and ordered to pay a £26 victim surcharge and £500 towards the prosecution trial costs.
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