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Legal matters

Will I be arrested?

41 replies

Anon4216 · 28/08/2016 17:23

Hi everyone, I've never posted on here before but I'm terrified I'm going to be arrested. Today I went to my local Tesco and the car behind me in the car park overtook me (at speed) and drove the wrong way round the car park to park, and whilst doing so cut up another car.

For some stupid reason I parked my car then went over to his (he was still sitting in his car) - i hovered by his window for a few mins and he didn't notice me so for some stupid reason I opened his door. Obviously I should have knocked on the window. I asked him if he was trying to cause an accident, this led into a loud debate in the car park. I walked off into Tesco and he stayed by his car. He then came into Tesco and started screaming at me, I shouted back to just go away - this went on for a minute or 2.

THe Tesco staff then asked him to leave and he did. After I left he was standing by his car on his phone and I'm now terrified that he was calling the police (and would have my registration number).

Can I be arrested for this? Obviously I shouldn't have opened his door. I'm so terrified. I'm also 18 weeks pregnant so I'm a bit overly hormonal. I wouldn't ever normally do something like that but I was so angry I had to say something. Obviously I wish I hadn't now :( he was quite young (early - mid 20s I'd guess) and driving a boy racer type car. Not that any of that makes any difference. Thanks for any advice x

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Maybebabybee · 28/08/2016 17:24

Of course you won't be arrested Flowers

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CandODad · 28/08/2016 17:25

What on earth would you be arrested for? Where is there a crime here?

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superram · 28/08/2016 17:25

No they won't arrest but although it is hard to keep quiet when wankers like this are around you need to protect yourself and your baby. Seethe inwardly!

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Anon4216 · 28/08/2016 17:25

Could it be seen as breaking and entering? Or anything like that? I'm so worried :( thanks for replying x

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Hariasa · 28/08/2016 17:25

What do you think the charge would be?

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Hariasa · 28/08/2016 17:26

But you didn't 'break' or attempt to steal the car.

Did you threaten him?
Push him?
Hit him?

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Anon4216 · 28/08/2016 17:26

I think it's illegal to open someone's car door? I will probably sound really dramatic but I'm literally sat by my front window watching out for a police car to turn up :(

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Anon4216 · 28/08/2016 17:27

No I didn't do any of those things and it was me who walked away from him. But he was screaming in my face in Tesco that I shouldn't have opened his door. And the fact he was on his phone is making me really worried!

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ExcuseMyEyebrows · 28/08/2016 17:28

I really don't think you would be arrested for giving someone a telling off.

But if the manager reported him to the police, he is likely to be in trouble if he was caught on cctv speeding around the car park and shouting at you in the supermarket.

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insancerre · 28/08/2016 17:29

What crime are you guilty of?

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OurBlanche · 28/08/2016 17:31

STOP WORRYING!

If the police come (which they won't) tell them he nearly ran into you and send them to Tesco for the CCTV footage of his idiotic driving! Job done!

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Anon4216 · 28/08/2016 17:31

Thankyou. It's the fact that I opened his car door that I'm worried about. I've tried googling it but I can't work out if it's illegal or not.

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AnchorDownDeepBreath · 28/08/2016 17:31

You shouldn't have opened his door, but it's not illegal. There is a strict definition of breaking and entering, trespass, etc, and this wouldn't fit. It's not a crime.

He is incredibly unlikely to report this to the police if he was driving too fast and the wrong way, too - any CCTV requested from Tesco to prove the case would show he was behaving like an idiot. He probably just called a friend to rant.

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delboysfileofax · 28/08/2016 17:32

Depends on the complaint he made as to whether police would be interested in speaking to you or not. Very unlikely to result in arrest though. Worst case scenario is that you're called in for a voluntary interview. If that's the case take the free legal advice you're offered and go from there

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TondelayaDellaVentamiglia · 28/08/2016 17:32

i expect he'll have you arrested for carjacking

...ridiculous enough for you?

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OurBlanche · 28/08/2016 17:32

OK... so now look up speeding.. that is easy to find. As it driving dangerously in a car park.

See? He acted illegally. You acted angrily! BIG difference!

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user1468843120 · 28/08/2016 17:33

Of course you won't be arrested. I did this once.. Was indicating to turn right from aside street onto a busy main road on a Saturday morning. Got beeped by the (much older ) male pick behind me. Saw red. He managed to overtake me and drove into supermarket garage. I followed him, got out and went totally batshit. He ended up apologising and nothing happened to me..... and my Dad was a passenger in my car. He looked at me with a new sense of respect afterwards..Grin

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Anon4216 · 28/08/2016 17:36

Thankyou for all the replies. I'm still worried but maybe I'm over thinking it a bit!

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Hariasa · 28/08/2016 17:36

Well he's right, you shouldn't have opened his door. I wouldn't think it constitutes a criminal offense though, just rude and unwise.

He was speeding.
He yelled at you in Tescos to the extent that he was thrown out was thrown out.

I can't imagine he's in any hurry to get the police involved.

Plus if no one was hurt, no threats of harm were made, or cars damaged I can't imagine that the police would be overly concerned.

You might want to consider how you could have handled the situation differently though. It seems unnecessarily aggressive action to open his door to yell at a stranger. The discussion was never going to end satisfactorily.

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youarenotkiddingme · 28/08/2016 17:40

He was probably on the phone to his mates bigging up his own part in it!

Yeah you know like I went into tesco like mate and got like right up in da bitches face and told her like to back off right or she face the consequences and she like was well scared and walked off.

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NotDavidTennant · 28/08/2016 17:40

Opening the car door would only be illegal if you were doing so with criminal intent (for instance, if you were intending to steal the car). Opening the door just to speak to the driver is not illegal.

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legotits · 28/08/2016 17:42

You are a dick.

You had no Idea what he could have done.

Let this be a cheap lesson, walk away.

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ilovesooty · 28/08/2016 17:42

I'm sure you'll be fine.

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Anon4216 · 28/08/2016 17:43

I so hope this is true! Obviously I should have handled the situation better and I totally regret the whole thing now. But it wasn't me driving like an idiot around a car park and cutting everyone up!

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FellOutOfBed2wice · 28/08/2016 17:46

I actually had s fight in a Tesco car park (she started it Blush) with the new partner of a ex who- entirely unprovoked, I promise this was the one and only fight of my life- punched me in the face. In an attempt to get her off of me I shoved her, but was a good 5 or 6 inches taller than her and caught her square under the nose and there was blood everywhere. She fled the scene promising to have me arrested. I wandered around feeling like a fugitive for a couple of weeks, knowing there was CCTV evidence and imagining I would end up in prison. Especially as I'm a naice girl from a naice family, in a naice area, I fear the police and it's not like I have ever had any dealings with them, not even a parking ticket. Didn't happen. I never heard anything from anyone as a result of it and it's been over ten years now.

What I did was much worse, don't worry you're fine.

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