Thug Jailed for Seven Years for Tractor Ramming Attack on Rival's Home
A man who used a stolen tractor as a battering ram to smash into a rival's family home has been sentenced to over seven years in prison.
Nathan Blagg, 28, has been jailed for seven years and two months after a revenge attack that saw him drive a stolen tractor at high speed into a rival's unoccupied home. The incident occurred in the early hours of May 9 in Middlesbrough after Blagg stole the Massey Ferguson tractor from a farm nine miles away.
Blagg was embroiled in a feud with criminal rival Luke Lancaster, 31. Lancaster had previously been filmed desecrating the graves of Blagg's father and brother, and had also run Blagg over with an Audi and chased him with a knife. In retaliation, Blagg targeted a home linked to Lancaster.
The tractor, still attached to a £30,000 hay baler, was driven through the front of the terraced house, embedding itself in the living room and destroying the facade. CCTV footage showed the tractor being driven at speed on the wrong side of the road. The impact left the tractor embedded in the downstairs front room, very close to the party wall with the neighboring premises.
No one was inside the three-bedroom home, which had been the target of previous attacks. However, the owner, who had owned the property for 24 years, stated in a court statement that the violence had destroyed her sense of security, leaving her constantly fearful of further attacks.
The tractor's owner, farmer Ian Tate, estimated the repair cost for the tractor at £56,000, with the hay baler written off. He was forced to hire a replacement tractor at a cost of £1,000 per week, causing him significant stress.
Blagg, who was on bail at the time of the tractor attack, was arrested on May 14 following a separate incident where he crashed a stolen Jaguar into a lamppost. Despite sustaining serious injuries, he attempted to drive the wrecked vehicle away. Blagg was also driving while disqualified at the time of the Jaguar crash.
During the investigation of the Jaguar crash, police found searches on Blagg's phone for criminal damage sentencing guidelines. His defense argued that Blagg had acted in anger due to the desecration of his family's graves and being physically assaulted by Lancaster. The judge acknowledged these provocations, noting that Lancaster had thrown Blagg over the bonnet of his car during a prior assault.
Blagg pleaded guilty to several charges, including affray, aggravated vehicle taking, criminal damage, driving while disqualified, and possession of Class C drugs. He was classified as a dangerous offender and will serve two years on license after his release.
Lancaster was previously convicted in July for running Blagg over and chasing him with a knife, receiving a 46-month sentence for grievous bodily harm.
Detective Constable Dan Cook of Middlesbrough CID stated that the theft and high-speed ramming of the tractor into a house demonstrated the extreme lengths Blagg would go to, disregarding the safety of residents and the public.