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Lord Maginnis admits 'road rage' swearing Lord Maginnis guilty of road rage
(about 3 hours later)
A Northern Ireland peer has admitted swearing at a driver in an alleged road rage incident in Dungannon, County Tyrone last year. A Northern Ireland peer has been found guilty of assaulting a man in a road rage incident.
Lord Maginnis, 75, denies having grabbed the man or having raised his fist as if to strike him. Lord Maginnis had admitted swearing at Keith Kirk during an altercation last year, but denied grabbing him and raising his fist.
The prosecution allege that Lord Maginnis pulled out in front of driver, Keith Kirk, who then blew his horn. However, the judge found him guilty of an "angry and abusive tirade".
Lord Maginnis denies assault. He said it was Mr Kirk's bad driving that led to the confrontation. The peer was fined £200 and ordered to pay his victim the same amount.
A prosecuting lawyer said the horn-blowing had been "the match that lit the fuse" and that Lord Maginnis had got out of his car, approached Mr Kirk who was still sitting in his vehicle, grabbed him, verbally abused him and raised his fist in such a way as to put him in fear that he was going to be struck. District Judge John Meehan said Lord Maginnis' tirade left Mr Kirk very frightened and his sister, who had been in the passenger seat, "terrified".
Dungannon Magistrates Court heard that Lord Maginnis, a former Ulster Unionist Party MP, admitted calling Mr Kirk a "yellow bellied bastard" during the incident. He said it was very sad that "a man who has given many years of the highest public service" should find himself in this position at the age of 75.
The case continues. The former Ulster Unionist MP had earlier admitted calling Mr Kirk a "yellow bellied bastard" in the incident but denied assault.
Lord Maginnis told reporters outside the court that he intended to appeal against the verdict.