Nathan Blagg, 28, has been jailed for seven years and two months after he stole a Massey Ferguson tractor and deliberately drove it into a terraced house in Middlesbrough. The incident was revenge for a "disgusting" video that showed the graves of his father and brother being desecrated.
Tractor stolen and driven nine miles
The tractor was stolen from farmer Ian Tate near Kirklevington, North Yorkshire, and driven at speed around nine miles before crashing into the three-bedroomed house in Priory Road, which was empty at the time. The court heard the house was linked to Blagg's rival, Luke Lancaster.
Recorder Paul Reid said "the house essentially had to be rebuilt", while the tractor needed £56,000 of repairs and the hay baler, which had cost the farmer £30,000, was written off. The judge noted the tractor almost went into a party wall with a neighbouring house.
Previous clash and grave desecration
Blagg admitted aggravated vehicle taking and criminal damage while reckless as to whether life was endangered. He also admitted affray in relation to a previous clash in Middlesbrough town centre with Lancaster, who has been jailed for his role in the violence that day. Prosecutor Jamie Wilson said Lancaster drove his car into Blagg outside the Probation Service offices, throwing him over the bonnet.
Blagg later told police any violence on April 21 was in self-defence. His defence barrister, Rod Hunt, said Blagg had seen "distressing footage" shared on social media by Lancaster, in which he urinated on the graves of Blagg's brother and father and kicked over a gravestone. Mr Hunt argued that, in the "strange logic of the underworld", targeting property is seen as less serious than a physical attack. He said: "By the strange logic of the underworld, the targeting of property is less serious than, in fact, running over Mr Lancaster or treating him in the way he had been treated. We both know the law of the land is not the same as the law of the jungle."
Separate Jaguar incident and victim impact
Five days after the tractor ramming, Blagg admitted aggravated vehicle taking after stealing a Jaguar and driving it at speed into a lamppost, causing the car to spin 180 degrees and throwing the streetlight 20 metres down the road. Both driver and passenger were seriously injured, and Blagg tried to drive the wrecked vehicle away even while paramedics attended. He was already disqualified from driving at the time of both incidents.
The family living in the rammed property had already moved out of their home of 24 years due to previous attacks. In a victim impact statement, the woman who lived there said: "I don't tell anyone where I live (now) for fear I and my family will be violently attacked." She said she was unsure if she would be able to get a mortgage or insure a house again. A man who lived there added: "We are a hard-working family and we don't deserve to be put through this." Farmer Mr Tate said the theft had cost him thousands of pounds: "Farming is hard enough without all this I have been put through."
Recorder Reid acknowledged Blagg had been provoked, saying: "You were in the spring of this year grossly aggrieved, and rightly so, by the disgusting behaviour of those who desecrated your relatives' graves and then compounded that disgusting behaviour by posting material on social media showing this." He referred to the criminal damage charge, saying: "This is about as serious as it gets, in my judgment." The offence was aggravated by the "enormous amount of damage", the planning, and the vehicle used. The judge also banned Blagg from driving for seven years.
