Sir-On Christmas Eve, my husband and I went to Bramley churchyard to place some flowers on our relatives' resting places.

It was 4.45pm and we noticed a number of cars were already parked outside the church, presumably for people to attend the annual crib service.

As we approached our car to leave, my husband noticed a people carrier with an elderly gentleman inside and a younger female who had already got out to help him alight. At the same time, a four-wheel-drive vehicle, something like a Jeep or a Land Rover, was coming around the corner.

Recognising the risk to the elderly gentleman, my husband signalled to the driver of the four-wheel-drive to stop.

It is possible that the driver had not seen the people carrier or the elderly gentleman. However, he immediately leaped out of his car and launched a vicious verbal attack on my husband, accusing him of only coming to church once a year. My husband and I are Catholics and attend Mass on a weekly basis.

There were other people there who had arrived for the service - yet none of them intervened. Like the Christian story of the Good Samaritan, no one stepped in to help.

The occupants of the people carrier left the scene and went into the church, showing no gratitude towards my husband, who had prevented them from being involved in a nasty accident.

Meanwhile, the driver of the other vehicle continued his tirade against my husband, including a torrent of expletives, in full hearing of the church congregation.

During the whole of this interchange, neither my husband nor I had used expletives. Indeed, we wonder what a middle-aged, apparently "respectable", man who attends church was doing shouting expletives outside a place of worship!

My husband's only crime was to prevent a driver from causing an accident.

We wonder what this man's New Year's resolution will be.

-Name and address supplied.