A man is facing a custodial sentence after a tractor was driven into a family home in Middlesbrough. Nathan Blagg, 28, appeared at Teesside Crown Court last week and pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking and criminal damage. He had previously admitted affray and another count of aggravated vehicle taking at an earlier appearance before magistrates.
The incident occurred shortly after 1 a.m. on Saturday, May 9, when the vehicle was driven into the terraced property at full throttle. Footage of the aftermath showed a red Massey Ferguson tractor on the driveway, with its yellow warning lights flashing. The vehicle appeared to be reversing away from the building, swaying as it moved over debris on the drive.
Residents reported hearing the tractor and seeing its flashing lights before it struck the property. Some neighbors were evacuated as a precaution. The family who owned the home were not present at the time; the house had reportedly been broken into and vandalized weeks prior, leaving it unoccupied.
One witness described the scene as "insane," noting that the tractor reversed into a car and then drove back into the property. The individuals involved were reportedly wearing balaclavas and hoodies.
The tractor's owner, farmer Ian Tate, found the vehicle still wedged in the front wall with its engine running approximately ten hours after the collision. He told The Mail on Sunday that there was no key in the ignition and expressed surprise at the ease with which the modern tractor could have been operated, suggesting that whoever drove it would have needed specific knowledge of such machinery.
Blagg, of Addington Drive, Middlesbrough, has been remanded in custody pending a pre-sentence report. Judge Clews indicated that the eventual sentence was likely to be custodial and of some length.
The tractor was removed from the property on Tuesday, May 12.
