Sheriff orders woman accused of road rage to knit
No one's quite sure how to solve the road rage epidemic, but one sheriff thinks he has the solution — knitting.
Amanda McCabe from Dundee, Scotland, was recently accused of assaulting fellow driver, Clare Smith. But instead of sending her directly to jail, Sheriff Rafferty at the Dundee Sheriff Court gave McCabe a choice: knit multiple items free of charge for a charity shop -- or face harsher consequences.
Oh, Britain.
You May Also Like
After McCabe entered a major road from a slip road, Smith loudly and publicly accused her of poor driving. McCabe responded by following Smith for several miles before pulling her out of her vehicle and punching her in the the face. As one does.
In court, McCabe claimed the entire chase was coincidental, as she was a "keen knitter” and was on her way to a specialty wool shop, near where Smith was headed.
Who hasn't heard that excuse before?
Sheriff Rafferty decided to hold McCabe to her words. In lieu of going directly to prison, McCabe would have to knit several pieces of clothing for a charity shop and raise money for a good cause. McCabe has a criminal record but no convictions for violence.
McCabe boasted that she could knit a sweater in two to three days, at a cost of £6 to £7.
"You went in the same direction as your victim, at the very least, and then went to her car door and assaulted her," Rafferty told McCabe in court. "You will bring to court several items that you have knitted that you are prepared to donate to a charity shop. It will not be a meager amount. You have committed a serious offense."
Because clearly, the best punishment for a "serious offense" and assault is a drastic knitting sentence.
Let the punishment not fit the crime.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Heather was the Web Trends reporter at Mashable NYC. Prior to joining Mashable, Heather wrote regularly for UPROXX and GOOD Magazine, was published in The Daily Dot and VICE, and had her work featured in Entertainment Weekly, Jezebel, Mic, and Gawker. She loves small terrible dogs and responsible driving. Follow her on Twitter @wear_a_helmet.
