Man rammed tractor into house after 'graves of his dad and brother desecrated'

Man rammed tractor into house after 'graves of his dad and brother desecrated' Nathan Blagg ran a stolen tractor into a house linked to his rival in Middlesbrough because the graves of his father and brother had been desecrated A man drove a tractor and hay baler into the house of a rival he alleged had desecrated the graves of his father and brother. Nathan Blagg, 28, was engaged in an "ongoing feud" when he drove a stolen tractor into a terraced house linked to his rival in Middlesbrough in May. The house was empty at the time but "essentially had to be rebuilt" due to the severe damage, Teesside Crown Court heard. Blagg was jailed for seven years and two months, with two years on extended licence after admitting a number of offences, including aggravated vehicle taking and criminal damage while reckless as to whether life was endangered. The tractor was stolen from farmer Ian Tate near Kirklevington, North Yorkshire, driven at speed around nine miles, then deliberately crashed into the three-bedroomed house in Priory Road. Recorder Paul Reid said “the house essentially had to be rebuilt”, while the court heard the tractor needed £56,000 of repairs and the hay baler, which had cost the farmer £30,000, was written off. The judge said the tractor almost went into a party wall with a neighbouring house. 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 his rival, who has been jailed for his role in the violence that day. Jamie Wilson, prosecuting, said Blagg's rival drove his car into Blagg outside the Probation Service offices, throwing him over the bonnet. Blagg later told police any violence that occurred in the street on April 21 was in self-defence. Rod Hunt, defending, said he had seen “distressing footage” shared on social media by Blagg's rival in which he urinated on the graves of Blagg’s brother and father, and kicked over a gravestone. Mr Hunt argued Blagg and others saw criminal damage to a rival 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 [the rival] 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.” In a separate event, five days after the tractor ramming, Blagg also admitted aggravated vehicle taking after he stole a Jaguar and drove it at speed into a lamppost, causing the car to spin 180 degrees and throwing the streetlight 20m down the road. Both driver and passenger were seriously injured, the court heard, but despite this Blagg tried to drive the wrecked vehicle away, even while paramedics attended. Blagg was already disqualified from driving when he drove the tractor and when he smashed the Jaguar, the court heard. 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 not sure 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.” Mr Tate, in his victim statement, said the theft of his tractor had cost him thousands of pounds. “Farming is hard enough without all this I have been put through,” he said. The judge acknowledged that Blagg had been provoked. Recorder Reid said: “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.” The judge referred to the criminal damage charge, relating to the tractor ramming, 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. Outside court, Detective Chief Inspector Dan Cook said: “To steal a tractor from a farm, to then be driven at high speed towards Middlesbrough and rammed with extreme force into a house shows the lengths Blagg will go to instil fear and violence, all without a thought or care for residents and the wider public. “While it is lucky no-one was inside that house at the time, Blagg was not aware of this or if those inside neighbouring properties were home when the tractor was rammed. “The danger and significant risk it posed to neighbouring properties meant occupants had to evacuate for their safety due to the structural damage caused.” This is a Breaking News story. You’ll be more likely to see our stories when any big news breaks in future by simply by clicking this link. You can also join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Community or follow us on Google News, Flipboard, Apple News, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads - or visit The Mirror homepage.