Dundee woman offered chance to 'knit' and avoid possible jail sentence
A road rage driver who tailed her victim for miles before punching her in the face when they stopped has been given six months to KNIT her way out of a prison sentence.
Amanda McCabe followed Claire Smith around Dundee before boxing her in in a car park, hauling open her driver's side door and attacking.
McCabe claimed the fact she had followed Ms Smith was pure co-incidence, as she had been travelling to a specialist wool shop in Dundee's Cardean street near where the assault took place.
A sheriff seized on that claim - and told her to bring "several knitted items" to court on her sentencing date to prove her skills, telling her that could be the difference between a jail term and a different sentence.
Fiscal depute John Adams told Dundee Sheriff Court Ms Smith and a friend had been driving on Dundee's Kingsway when the accused entered from a slip road.
Mr Adams said: "Ms Smith was not very impressed with the accused's driving and made her feelings known. Unfortunately this led to the accused following Ms Smith for around five to 10 minutes, from the Kingsway to Cardean Street."
Ms Smith then took a wrong turn and entered a car park to perform a U-turn, prompting McCabe to pounce.
She boxed in her car and leapt from the driver's seat before opening her door and punching her once on the face.
Ms Smith was left with a red mark but did not require medical attention.
McCabe, 47, from Dundee, pleaded guilty to assaulting Claire Smith on January 8 this year in Dundee's Cardean Street by punching her on the head.
Solicitor advocate Jim Laverty, defending, said: "She is utterly ashamed of herself and says that it was simply a loss of control. As for following the complainer, she indicates that Cardean Street was her intended journey's end. She is a keen knitter and a nearby specialist wool shop was her destination."
Sheriff John Rafferty deferred sentence until December for good behaviour - and to bring the knitted items.
He said: "This was quite a shocking incident. You went in the same direction as your victim, at the very least, and then you went to her car door and assaulted her, though I accept that it was out of character. If you are a skilled knitter then I am sure that you could produce some goods for charity. You will bring to court several items that you have knitted that you are prepared to donate to a charity shop. You have committed serious offences but you have a chance to do something useful with your time. Take this chance."