A 25-year-old man punched through a car window and carried out an prolonged attack on a driver in a road rage incident.

Samuel Braund, previously of East Weare Road, Portland, who gave his current address as Salisbury, admitted two counts of assault by beating and one count of criminal damage at Weymouth Magistrates Court.

Magistrates heard Braund was driving on the A35 near Dorchester on July 2 when he alleged ‘something’ was thrown at his vehicle from two other cars.

Elizabeth Valera, prosecuting, said Braund pursued them, passing traffic to get in front of the cars before slamming on his brakes “so the vehicle behind had to do the same.”

Braund approached the car and punched the driver’s window three times causing it to smash. He then assaulted the driver, Finn Steel.

In a statement read out in court, Mr Steel said he was driving with friends to get lunch at McDonald’s when he saw a vehicle driving ‘very fast’ over the brow of the hill. He said the car then overtook several cars and pulled in front of his.

Mr Steel said Braund came up to his window and punched it several times causing the glass to shatter over him. Braun then continued to punch into the vehicle.

“I remember feeling punches hitting the side of my head about three or four times,” Mr Steel said.

He added he then believes he blacked out. Mr Steel suffered bruising and swelling to his right cheek bone and right eye and said his head felt like it was “being squashed in a vice.” He also had small cuts behind his right ear and on his legs.

Oliver Sargeant, a passenger in the car, sustained cuts to his hands where he had tried to protect Mr Steel.

Mr Sargeant said when Braund finished punching Mr Steel – in an attack that lasted around five minutes – he drove away.

Max Owen, mitigating, said Braund had Asperger’s syndrome and one of the main symptoms was an “inability to deal with stressful situations” which could lead to “sudden explosive outbursts.”

He said Braund believed something had been thrown at his car which caused him to turn around and speak to the people in the car.

When Braund approached their vehicle, he felt they were laughing at him and Mr Owen said: “That’s what caused him to lose his temper completely.”

Braund was handed a 12-month community order with a 25-day rehabilitation requirement activity.

He was fined £100, ordered to pay £50 compensation to Mr Sargeant, £100 compensation to Mr Steel, £96 costs for the replacement of the window and £85 court costs.