Incredible moment drunk man goes on £8k wrecking spree in stolen bulldozer | UK | News
A disgruntled garage customer has been jailed after stealing a 24-tonne bulldozer and going on an £8,000 destruction spree in Wolverhampton following a dispute over his car. Darren Coffey, 41, was under the influence of drugs and alcohol when he collected the £385,000 Caterpillar construction equipment from his employer on November 8 last year.
He then used the vehicle in an attack across the city that lasted around three hours, causing widespread chaos between 5.30pm and 8.15pm. Wolverhampton Crown Court heard Coffey’s dangerous run only ended when he crashed into a Royal Mail lorry, which police had positioned as a barricade in an attempt to stop him.
Prior to this it had ripped through Wolverhampton along major routes including the A454, the city ring road, Willenhall Road and Willenhall town centre, causing disruption and damage along the way.
Judge David Perry said a prison sentence was “inevitable”, describing how Coffey had caused “untold chaos” to road users. He said Coffey backed into oncoming traffic, at one stage colliding with police vehicles and repeatedly driving on the wrong side of the road.
The judge explained that senior officers allowed the route to be blocked by a HGV, leading to the Royal Mail trailer being placed across the road. Coffey then used the bulldozer to push it out of the way, causing more damage.
The judge said: “The machine needed repairs worth £680 and the total damage was just over £8,000. I have seen the video footage.”
He added: “You represent a risk and only immediate detention is justified because of the seriousness of that risk. The crime is so serious that only detention can be justified.”
Coffey cried in the dock as he was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
The court heard he had a dispute with Willenhall Autos over a vehicle and threatened to burn it and “smash” it before the incident. He even called the police after stealing the bulldozer from near the Staffordshire border, saying he “went there with two petrol cans.”
Coffey, of Wolverhampton, admitted dangerous driving, excessive driving, drink driving, driving without a license or insurance, failing to stop, criminal damage and threatening to damage property.
The court also heard that although he had not been in trouble since 2015, he had a history of cocaine and cannabis use, as well as previous convictions for drink driving, criminal damage and motoring offences.
His defense lawyer said he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and sought help for his drug problems and asked for a suspended sentence, but this was refused.
Coffey, a father of four who moved to England from Ireland 17 years ago, must serve at least 40 per cent of his sentence before being released on licence.
He will then be kept under surveillance for 12 months. He was also banned from driving for three years and nine months and must take an extended test before getting behind the wheel.
