A man has been jailed for 40 months after driving a stolen bulldozer into his local pub in Rhondda Cynon Taf, following taunts about the breakdown of his marriage. Daniel Morgan, 35, of Aberdare, had been drinking at The New Inn in Cefn Rhigos on the evening of the incident in December 2025.
Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard that Morgan, who visited the pub most evenings, flew into a rage after being taunted over his marriage breakdown. He had recently moved out of the marital home and had grown paranoid, mistakenly suspecting his former partner of having an affair.
After leaving the pub, Morgan texted the landlord, Christopher Common, saying 'be careful, you can’t stop a dozer' and 'it will be a drive-thru'. He then stole the bulldozer from his father’s nearby farm and drove it into the front of the pub, causing more than £22,000 in damage.
Judge Celia Hughes said Morgan's father heroically reached the pub first and warned customers to evacuate. Morgan then drove towards his estranged wife’s home, running over another vehicle. The rampage ended when his father mounted a digger and used the bucket to smash the bulldozer’s dashboard.
Morgan pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking, dangerous driving, and criminal damage recklessly endangering life. He was also disqualified from driving for three years and three months. The court heard he had been drinking heavily and taking cocaine, and that those who knew him were 'genuinely shocked' by his behaviour.
