A 62-year-old motorcyclist has been banned from driving for eight months after clinging to a P-plater's car bonnet during a road rage incident in Mildura, Victoria. John Stanley Turner faced Mildura Magistrates Court on Monday, pleading guilty to five offences including affray, dangerous driving, and property damage.
Dashcam footage played in court showed Turner throwing his helmet at the car, smashing the driver's side mirror, and tearing at a windscreen wiper before leaping onto the bonnet. The incident began when both vehicles attempted to turn onto Deakin Avenue on February 27. Turner was cut off, overtook, braked, and made a rude gesture. The car then clipped his motorcycle as it passed.
After removing his helmet and throwing it at the windscreen, Turner pursued the car and jumped onto the bonnet. The P-plate driver, with four passengers, drove 1.3 kilometres to the Mildura police station as instructed by police. Turner clung to the bonnet for two minutes and 46 seconds, refusing to get off even at traffic lights.
The court heard Turner caused $7,794.24 damage to the car and later posted on social media claiming he had been deliberately rammed. Magistrate Michael Coghlan described the behaviour as 'outrageous' and 'disturbing'. Turner's licence was suspended for eight months, and he was placed on a 12-month community corrections order with 100 hours of unpaid work.
