A man has had all charges dismissed after a court ruled they could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Charged with two counts of assault, tailgating and flashing high-beams, Jake Sansovini waited with bated breath in Griffith Local Court on Wednesday for the results of his trial.
In an alleged road rage incident on Sturt Highway in Balranald in October, his accuser Steven Vaughan told police Sansovini came up very close behind his SUV in a 50km zone while driving his truck.
So close, he and his wife Janine couldn't see his lights.
Mr Vaughan alleged he tapped his brakes as a warning to back off, with Sansovini responding by flashing his high beams.
They further alleged he had driven his truck to cut them off when they parked on the side of the road, where both drivers got out of their vehicles.
A physical argument with three punches followed, whereby Mr Vaughan alleged he had stuck first out of self-defense.
Mr and Mrs Vaughan gave evidence at the December hearing.
With no CCTV or any other witnesses, the prosecution case relied heavily on their statements, as well as photos taken of injuries received from the argument.
Magistrate Joy Boulos found many inconsistencies with the statements they'd given police and those they gave at court. She said it was clear there was "collusion" between the two.
On the other hand, she said Sansovini's statements and "rigorous" cross examination in court married up perfectly with what he told police at the time.
He had twice tried to overtake the Vaughan's on the highway, as they were going below the speed limit.
Yet both times Mr Vaughan sped up and moved over to prevent him from passing.
Mr Vaughan then slammed on his brakes and maneuvered his vehicle in front of the truck, becoming the aggressor.
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Sansovini said Mr Vaughan had grabbed his shirt, and punched him in the chest and throat. He only punched once back.
Magistrate Boulos made the following observations: it was "improbable" that headlights couldn't have been seen if the truck was so close. It was "implausible" the brake tap wouldn't have been serious if he was only "one inch" behind. That Mr Vaughan was "prone to embellishment and exaggeration".
Because of these discrepancies, with the absence of any objective evidence, all four charges were dismissed.