Daniel Morgan, who rammed stolen bulldozer into Cefn Rhigos pub in cocaine-fuelled rage jailed
A man has been jailed for crashing a stolen bulldozer into the local village pub.
Daniel Morgan, 35, was drinking at The New Inn in Cefn Rhigos in Rhondda Cynon Taf when he became enraged and drove into the building.
Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard Morgan, who frequented the bar, was “seeing red” after being taunted about the collapse of his marriage.
The court heard Morgan had recently moved out of his matrimonial home, became increasingly paranoid and mistakenly suspected his former partner was having an affair.
On Thursday Judge Celia Hughes sentenced Morgan to 40 months in prison and disqualified him from driving for three years and three months.
Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard Morgan, who had been drinking and using cocaine on the day of the incident in December last year, stormed out of the bar after being taunted about the breakdown of his relationship.
Morgan texted homeowner Christopher Common, saying “be careful, you can’t stop a bulldozer” and “it’s going to be a drive-thru” before stealing the vehicle from his father’s nearby farm and heading towards the bar.
Judge Hughes said: “Your father, in my view, quite heroically arrived at the pub before you and warned the publican to let his customers out.
“You deliberately drove it onto the front porch of the pub, causing serious damage and, more importantly, great fear to those inside.”
The court heard Morgan caused more than £22,000 damage to the building by running over another vehicle before driving towards his estranged wife’s home.
His rampage was only stopped when his father, who was trying to cut the diesel pipe, mounted a digger and used the bucket to break the dashboard.
Morgan, of Aberdare, previously pleaded guilty to aggravated driving, dangerous driving and recklessly causing criminal damage endangering life.
Judge Hughes said: “Your actions on the night of this incident will have serious effects on you and your loved ones for the rest of your lives.
“You are extremely lucky that no one was seriously injured.”
The court heard Morgan had been drinking and using drugs extensively following the breakdown of his marriage and was living with his father at the time of the incident.
Stephen Thomas, defending, said those who knew Morgan were “genuinely shocked” by his behavior and knew him as a “reliable” and “hard-working” man.
Ryan Randall, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Daniel Morgan showed complete disregard for the safety of others who may have been in the bar.
“This was not a random collision, it was a subsequent threatening action which not only damaged a building and vehicles but also halted trading of a business and affected the livelihoods of homeowners and farmers.
“The strong evidence presented by the Crown Prosecution Service resulted in a guilty plea.”
