Can I press charges for this?!

[CognitiveDissonance]

I own a car that both my mum and I are insured on.
This evening, my mum pulled into the car park at our flats at the same time as another car. When she realised there were no more spaces other than the one the other car was trying to park in, she began to reverse out. The driver of the other car, thought she was trying to "steal" his space, got out of the car in a blind rage and began screaming abuse at her. She remained calm, found another parking space but when they had both parked, he approached the car again and continued to scream at her. She though he was going to hit her as she called 999. Rather than hit her, he punched my car and has dented the bonnet. He left the scene leaving his terrified girlfriend to deal with the fallout. The police could not send anybody because of NHC so it's been reported via telephone and they will call back tomorrow to follow up.
Of course I'm glad that he dented my car rather than physically assaulted my mum but at the same time, I am apoplectic with rage that this man has dented my car, been abusive to my mum and scared the shit out of 6 year old who was in the car at the time and witnessed the whole ordeal.
Please tell me we can press charges somehow and he won't simply get away with this?

Yes, he can be charged with non-permanent criminal damage, if the police follow it up.

I would have thought that’s criminal damage!

Hopefully you've got comprehensive insurance?

Yes fully comp on the insurance but I've only had the car two bloody months, the last thing I want to do is claim on the insurance, I want HIM to fucking pay for the damage he caused through his twatish, Neanderthal behaviour.
I'm going to take it for a quote tomorrow. Not sure how to enforce him paying for it but I'd rather be armed with all the facts as soon as possible.

Report it to the insurance company anyway, just in case. You could find it's very expensive. No way of forcing him to pay unless you sue.

You need your mom to make a statement to the police then you'll be issued with a crime number which you can pass onto your insurance other than that stab the tramps tyres in the night it'll cost him about the same price to fix an revenge is a lovely feeling .if someone had done that to my mom I would've smashed him an his car to bits bullies like that have to be stood up to

Well, as satisfying as it would be to slash his tyres, I'm not an irrational and aggressive criminal like he is.
I wasn't there, she didn't tell me until I got home because I was out at a friends wedding. Fortunately in this instance, my mum isn't a pensioner and can handle herself but she's still my mum and I'm furious that anyone would be aggressive and abusive towards her.

If I report it to my insurance company, does it automatically affect my premium even if I don't claim? My insurance is already fairly high as it is :(

Hi Op. some twat dis this to me. The police have some restorative justice programme. They tell the offender to pay to fix your car or they will be charged with criminal damage . In my case he paid for the damage . They might offer you the same thing.

About a year after this happened to me the guy was jailed for forcing someone to stop on the third lane of the m1 and smacking that mans car with a baseball bat because he thought he'd been undercut. It turned out he had lots of form for this shit. I bet you the fella that has hit your car has previous.

Is there any CCTV in your car park. Try and get it. I was so surprised when I went to the police and they told me he'd admitted it and said I deserved it because I should have pulled over to let me him past. Officer wasn't too impressed at that comment ...

It will affect your premium if you claim. But I don’t think there is anyway to hold home responsible without claiming. Certainly you won’t be able to make him pay for the repair without the insurance- I suspect the police would also expect you to inform the insurance company if they take any action for criminal damage (I don’t think they will to be honest)

What a bastard though

That's useful to know @puguin86
As it happens, the girlfriend explained that a few minutes before hand as they were driving before they parked, someone cut them up and almost caused them to crash so it would appear that when he thought my mum was also trying to take the piss, he saw red and took it out on her.
My poor DD couldn't sleep properly last night, apparently she was shaking like a leaf the whole time. She seems fine this morning though luckily.

There is CCTV in the car park but whether it works or not is another story, maintenance of our area is a bit of a joke tbh but I will call the housing association tomorrow and find out

Just an FYI, in the U.K. we don't 'press charges'. The police decide whether or not to pursue an investigation and the CPS decide whether to charge them. If you report something and the police don't investigate you can't make them.

You will have to report it anyway so you might as well get it dealt with properly now. When you renew you’ll be asked if you’ve had damage or accidents over the past five years and you’ve got to say yes regardless of whether you’ve got them involved. So your premium will be loaded anyway.

Similar happened to me on a roundabout. Idiot cut straight across me as he was in the wrong lane. Blew my horn at him and he slammed his brakes on in front of me forcing me to do an emergency stop. He then refused to move to let me past. I shouted at him out of the window and he got out of his car screaming abuse at me and kicked my side door, denting it. I called the police and he happily admitted he had done it saying I deserved it because I had given him "verbals". He really thought the police would side with him!

Police arrested him and issued a caution for criminal damage and threatening behaviour at the station. I reported to insurance with crime number. With help of motor legal cover he was taken to court and forced to pay all repair costs including my excess plus compensation to me for distress caused.

Report this to the police ASAP, OP, they will take it seriously.

The incident didn't increase my premium as it was a no fault claim and the insurance company recovered all their losses.

Sorry but what is NHC?

NHC?

As pp said you cannot press charges.

Follow it up with the police and see what they say. I wouldn't be surprised if they're not interested though.

NHC= Notting Hill Carnival. The police were supposed to call today but haven't so mum will have to call them tomorrow to make a proper report. As far as I can tell from what I've read so far, I can't report it to my insurance company until we have a crime number.
I'm awaiting advice from a friend who is in the Met Police so he might be able to clarify the process for me.

So you've got his reg? I work in a different force but if you've reported the crime they have to record it and should take a statement from your mum, probably over the phone. If they can get his details from the ref it should be fairly straightforward to get him in. If CPS charge him it will go to court, if he pleads guilty they should request compensation for you, in some cases the court doesn't grant it, mostly they do. As far as I am aware you don't need to claim on your insurance, if you do the compensation should go back to the insurance company. If he pleads not guilty your mum will be called to attend court to give evidence, if he's found guilty after the trial compensation is the same as above.

Thanks @Smellbellina that's my general understanding of what's supposed to happen except the police didn't call back today to take her statement over the phone. I suspect that's also down to NHC so she's reporting online now.

Sorry just realised, yes we have the reg of the car and the contact details of his girlfriend who is the owner of the car and was the one driving. The police have this information. I misunderstood the initial conversation I had with my mum, I thought he was the one driving although I doubt it makes much difference considering it was his fist that collided with my bumper rather than he girlfriends car.