A 68-year-old man from Saint-Gilles-Waes and his 31-year-old son have been summoned to the Bruges criminal court over an alleged assault during a road rage incident.
The victim sustained a broken arm and finger and the prosecution have demanded eight months suspended imprisonment and an €800 fine.
The traffic aggression took place in the coastal town of Wenduine on 29 July 2021, at the intersection of De Smet de Naeyerlaan and Blankenbergsesteenweg. The victim was in his car, waiting to get onto a roundabout and blocking the road for some cyclists.
The 31-year-old defendant allegedly threw his bike against the car in frustration. The victim's lawyer, Yen Buytaert, said that his client's vehicle was even surrounded by the 68-year-old suspect and the other cyclists.
Eventually, the victim got out of the car. The father grabbed his hand, breaking his ring finger. The man also sustained a broken arm from falling during the confrontation. The incident left the victim unable to work for three months. The son also allegedly slapped the driver's wife in the face.
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The defence, however, outlined a very different story. The defendants declared that they were provoked, as the victim wanted to attack the 68-year-old with a screwdriver; the son therefore only intervened to protect his father.
Under the circumstances, a suspended sentence was proposed for the father. For his son, even acquittal was sought, as he claimed he only slapped the woman against the ear as she grabbed him by his T-shirt.
The court will deliver its verdict on 20 June.
