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A van driver has been fined after he was captured on dash cam assaulting a man and holding a plastic fork to his throat.

Self-employed joiner Craig Hatch bumped into the back of the other driver’s car on Edinburgh’s Kirk Brae in July 2021.

When the two men left their vehicles to inspect the damage, he said his foot had slipped off the brake.

But when the other man questioned whether he had been on his phone at the time, Hatch saw red and launched into a sweary rant.

With the man’s frightened two-year-old son watching from the back seat, Hatch got him in a headlock and held him against the rear of his car.

The driver, who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions, said: ‘It was meant to be a quick trip to the grocery shop, but turned out to a nightmare.

‘I only asked him about using his phone, but could not have predicted his reaction and things escalated quickly.’

Hatch held the plastic cutlery close to the man’s neck while he was pinned, before tossing him to the pavement.

Once the victim had got up and shut himself back in his car, he called the police, but Hatch continued his abuse.

Through the open window of his van, he yelled: ‘Make sure you tell the f****ng truth. I’m insured, so don’t you worry about that.’

Hatch pleaded guilty to assault at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on January 30, and was ordered to pay the victim £400 compensation. The court also fined Hatch £240.

Speaking after the sentencing, the anonymous driver said: ‘I did not want to engage in any confrontation as I was worried for the safety of myself and my little son, who had to witness the incident from his rear-facing seat.

‘The unprovoked attack left us both very distressed.’

Additional reporting by Martin Cutler

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