Cost for road rage

A pastor must pay $500 as emotional harm reparations to the victim of his road rage. Sione Toutaiolepo was sentenced in the Christchurch District Court yesterday on charges of assault using a car as a weapon, and wilful damage. Toutaiolepo, a 46-year-old pastor in the Tongan Church, said he followed a truck he thought had cut him off in an incident at a Christchurch intersection on January 14. He shattered his victim’s driver side window with a tyre iron. The victim got out of the truck and said he was calling police. Toutaiolepo drove slowly at him causing him to fall backwards. When the victim got up Toutaiolepo drove at him again, and drove with the man clinging to his van until he fell off. He suffered cuts and grazes. Toutaiolepo drove off. A witness filmed the incident on a cellphone. Toutaiolepo was also sentenced to 100 hours of community work and reparation for the window of $518. He pleaded guilty to both charges.