Army vet fined for road rage teen attack

A 50-year-old army veteran has been ordered to pay $1500 to a 17-year-old boy he attacked in an Albany road-rage assault. Magistrate Raelene Johnston described Stephen John Murphy’s assault on the teenager as an “awful thing” while telling Albany Magistrate’s Court road-rage incidents were becoming more common. Police prosecutors told the court last Thursday Murphy had entered a three-way roundabout from Sanford Road onto Albany Highway at the same time as his victim’s vehicle, driven by the boy’s mother, which was travelling north on Albany Highway. Murphy started shouting abuse at the driver, to which the 17-year-old responded with “rude gestures”, prosecutors said. Both vehicles then stopped on Albany Highway. Murphy approached the driver’s side window of his victim’s vehicle, where the two engaged in a verbal argument. Prosecutors told the court the teenager shouted abuse at Murphy, prompting him to walk around to his side of the car, open the boy’s door, pull his hair with his left hand and punch him about five times with his right fist to the back of his head. The teenager stepped out of the vehicle after Murphy started walking away and threatened him with a glass bottle, but was stopped by his mother. Murphy’s defence counsel told the court the 50-year-old was a father of three and had served time in the armed forces as a combat engineer. More recently, he had been employed as a driver and plant operator. He said the victim’s mother had “startled” and “flashed past” the veteran on the inside left lane of the roundabout. He said he was ashamed and remorseful for his actions and believed the victim and his mother might have been drinking because he saw alcohol containers in their vehicle. Ms Johnston said the situation “got out of hand” the moment Murphy got out of his vehicle. Murphy was granted a spent conviction by Ms Johnston after pleading guilty to common assault.