Got into an argument and got reported to the police... what do you think?

Quite possibly. Would they have threatened him with getting punched? I think that's what took it over the line, not swearing.

Also, how is he to know whether you're some psychowho's going to send someone after him or not?

The "do gooders" on here will side with the absolute plonker of a man because that just seems to be Mumsnet way.

Meanwhile in the real world you have done nothing wrong and even a saint would have snapped at the idiot and threatened to strangle him with their halo if he didn't do one. Nobody would stand for the level of harassment you have just described.

I am not surprised you snapped @FairyonaFrog - you had admitted what you had done, apologised, no-one was hurt so what ifs or could haves are irrelevant, what else did he expect from you? Abase yourself in front of him? Don a hair shirt and chant Mea Culpa?

There was no need for him to go on and on and on and on it didn't and couldn't change what had happened it does not invoke time travel and the chance to not do what you did.

He was an arrogant arse determined to wind you up and unfortunately you bit, if there's a next time just say nothing after you have apoligised, ignore him and leave him to his chuntering.

Following a woman round when she dont want it is sexual harassment, she should av reported it to the police and got the man arrested. They're is no excuse in this day and age to be behaving like that.

You know none of it is to your credit already. That said, in your position I would have had to choke down a lot of 'who the fuck do you think you are to tell me off like that, you pompous piece of shit'. He probably expected a more meek response from you, and in reality decided to report you for having the nerve to give him backchat. He never felt threatened by you.

Wouldn't you call the Police if someone threatened you like that?

Well, if that was the most unbelievable thing he’d ever seen then he clearly doesn’t get out a lot….. he sounds like an insignificant pompous twit and you’ll have forgotten all it by this time next week .

In equal parts you both behaved like twats.

You made a mistake (we all do). Fault on both sides. You apologised and that should have been the end of it. He should have accepted your apology and easier said than done, but you shouldn’t gave threatened him. I’d just park it and move on.

You were both out of order. He had no reason to keep pushing it once you’d explained and it was clear you knew you’d made a mistake and weren’t driving under the influence.

But we can’t live in a country where people threaten to punch other people in the face when their bad behaviour or mistakes are challenged.

I think given your threat he perhaps assumed there was more to it or you may have been driving without insurance etc and reported it to the police to make sure there was nothing bigger going on.

They can be, I've seen it, a few times.

Some can hold their own very well.

I have worked in some interesting places with some interesting people!

I bet he would never dare approach a man in that way.

shared in Jaywick xx

Most people would of told him to fuck off. You told him of your remorse and he should have left it at that, he was a prat.

He was being a threat first by following her to her car and harassing her elderly mother.

Like you said it wasn't your finest hour

You told him you made a mistake he shouldn't have followed you

Talk about wasting police time

I accept the risk is low of women being a threat to men but they definitely can be in certain circumstances. To think a woman can’t be any kind of threat to a man is naive.

I think you were both being U.

I’ve had similar things in the past and find taking a deliberate attempt to be oh-so-calm and reasonable but dismissing them even when they’re being utter twats helps. Practise some stock phrases at home which you can use. I’ve said “of course you think a crime has been committed here
you’ve every right to take this further”, or “I think this conversation’s gone as far as it will, let’s both get on with our day” or something like that. You don’t want to get goaded into saying something silly.

I’ve also asked for people’s names, and used the millennial “I am no longer comfortable with this situation”
when necessary, whilst walking off!

He sounds like a right interfering arsehole and I’d have happily told him to Fuck off if he’d bothered me.

I’d also be asking the police if they thought this random eejit would happily harangue a 6ft bloke or did he deliberately choose a woman after harassing her elderly passenger first?

It's not about apologising to a random man, she drove across the pavement! If it had been a woman who was outraged and called her out I'd expect the (terrible) driver to show some genuine remorse or mortification at what what they'd done! There are so many dangerous drivers on the road and most of them don't give a toss.

I’m sorry, but all of these “You were worse than him” posts are ridiculous.

Yes OP fucked up by driving across the pavement.

But he firstly harassed her elderly mother in the car and then basically followed OP to continually admonish her.

He asked if it was her, she answered honestly and explained why she’d made the mistake. He got his answer. He didn’t need to continue following her to her car and continuing to harass her. He was being a creepy, antagonising twat. I’m not surprised he got a mouthful. Even the police felt he’d invite similar comments from other with his behaviour.

And he was being physically threatening.

I don't think swearing's here or there. I swear a lot, people have varying views on it. The man's clearly an intolerant loser who sees himself as an enforcer or rules. I pity anyone who has to spend time with him.

Important life lesson: It is rarely necessary to have the last word. Especially when your interlocutor seems to be ranting along a track embedded in their own mind, only tenuously connected to an actual event. The best approach is to take a step back and simply observe.

He then kept saying "I've never seen anything like it, it's the most unbelievable thing I've ever seen in my life".

This is obvious hyperbole, possibly reflecting that he's realised he's making an absurd song and dance about this. In any case, what he's seen in his life is nothing to do with you and doesn't require an answer. I understand why it pissed you off, but this is where becoming the observer really helps.

Glad the cops saw sense!

You were both out of order.

You made a mistake and admitted it. He gained nothing by constantly pointing it out - what outcome was he hoping for?

If it was wind you up he succeeded!

You were wrong to have made a threat.

That’s likely why the police closed it down. 2 wrongs don’t make a right but there’s no gain in pursuing this.

Following a woman and harassing her is also dangerous and illegal.