Motorist appears in court after smacking ticket machine out of traffic warden's hands

Rory Guntert, 31, of Belmont Close, Cleethorpes, admitted assault by beating when he appeared at Boston Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.

Prosecuting, Marie Stace said on November 19 the civil enforcement officer in question approached a car parked in a disabled-only parking bay in Wide Bargate and asked the woman sitting in the passenger seat if the car could be moved, but was told the driver was in a nearby store.

She said the officer started issuing a parking ticket, at which point Guntert came out of the store, got into the car, and drove away without accepting the penalty.

She said the officer continued to write out the ticket, but then Guntert, who had stopped his car a short

distance away, returned and smacked the machine out of their hands.

In mitigation, Philippa Chatterton said Guntert had been going through an 'extremely difficult' time as he

was in the process of breaking up with his partner and had also been just been told that he was suffering

from an as-yet unidentified serious medical complaint, which had been causing him great distress.

She said Guntert said the car was parked in properly and what he had done was in 'a moment of madness'.

The magistrates imposed a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered Guntert to pay a total of £107 in court costs and charges.

They made no order for compensation.