A judge told an Oamaru man he may need help with anger management after he rammed his wheelchair into a friend’s leg in the KFC carpark.
Damien Alias Smith, 43, who is confined to a wheelchair, was initially charged with assault with a weapon after an incident on August 18, the Oamaru District Court heard this week.
At sentencing, the charge was officially amended to assault.
When the duo met in the carpark, Smith was "immediately agitated and verbally abusive towards the victim", court documents said.
As the woman was inside ordering their meals, the defendant rolled his wheelchair directly into her leg, causing soreness for a number of days.
He returned to the carpark, where he continued to yell at the woman.
She ignored Smith, put his meal on the ground next to him and got into her car.
Smith rammed his wheelchair into the bumper, preventing the woman from leaving.
He then approached the victim’s door and knocked the wing mirror from its fixture.
Smith told police he had been angry with the woman because this was the second time he had paid for her meal and "she had not appreciated it".
He was sentenced to six months’ supervision and ordered to pay $350 reparation.
"Your temper seems to have got the better of you," the judge said.
"The benefit of a sentence of supervision is it will assist you in managing day-to-day frustrations," Judge Dravitzki said.
