Man, 56, ‘lost self-control’ in JCB rampage
AMAN smashed a digger into the home of his brother’s ex-lover in a revenge attack that caused tens of thousands of pounds’ worth of damage, a court has heard.
Mark Holmes, 56, repeatedly rammed the huge digger into the modern brick house of terrified Paula Brown in a family dispute.
Newport Crown Court heard he “completely lost self-control” when he stole the digger belonging to his son to go on the rampage.
Mrs Brown watched in horror as he drove up the street in Blackwood to ram it into her home and two cars outside – with watching workmen catching it on camera.
Prosecutor James Evans said Holmes caused up to £28,000 worth of damage to the house after he repeatedly lurched into it. Mrs Brown was sitting inside her home with her son when Holmes crashed into her silver Ford Focus and blue Ford Fiesta.
Footage filmed by workmen in a nearby van shows Holmes holding his phone calmly behind the wheel of the JCB as he carries out the attack.
A voice from the van can be heard saying: “Got it all on film for you, all right mate? Got it all on film. F***ing d***head, what’s he f***ing doing? F***ing joke.”
Mr Evans said: “Paula Brown is the ex-partner of the defendant’s brother and it seems the relationship had become strained between Mrs Brown and the defendant.
“At 1pm Mrs Brown was sat with her son in the front room of her home. She saw the JCB vehicle enter her street. She saw it drive into her Ford Focus outside her sitting-room. There were numerous attempts with the JCB to do damage. He reversed repeatedly.”
The court heard Mrs Brown came out of her home before she was hit by the digger and suffered bruising to her leg.
Mr Evans said: “She saw that it was the defendant driving the vehicle. He raised the digger arm on the vehicle which made contact with her. It damaged the footwear that she was wearing and caused relatively minor injuries.
“He drove towards her and continued to ram the Ford Fiesta and to ram her home. He became aware the incident was being filmed so he left.”
The court heard Holmes drove to Blackwood police station before confessing that he had been drink-driving after taking his son’s digger.
In a victim personal statement, Mrs Brown said she struggles to sleep following the incident. She said: “I was scared for mine and my son’s life. I thought he was going to kill me.”
Holmes, of Penybryn, Caerphilly, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking, damaging property, dangerous driving and drink-driving.
He denied assault occasioning actual bodily harm – but admitted the lesser charge of battery.
Defending, Marian Lewis said: “It seems to be a culmination of family problems, misunderstandings and disagreements which have come to a head. He has borne these burdens.
“Burdens of his brother’s relationship, burdens of caring for his wife, burdens of caring for his children. He completely lost his self-control and for that he is truly remorseful.”
Judge Duncan Bould handed Holmes a 16-month sentence suspended for two years.
He said: “Whatever resentment you harboured or justifications you gave to yourself in your intoxicated state were not excusable in any way for the behaviour you inflicted on Paula Brown and her property.
“You perhaps now, on sober reflection, can appreciate what you did and how serious the harm caused to her might have been.”
The judge said the planned incident involved “elements of revenge” – but said that remorseful Holmes had escaped custody “by a whisker”.
Holmes must wear an alcohol abstinence monitoring tag for 120 days and carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
He was handed a 10-year restraining order and disqualified from driving for three years.