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Daily Record
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Steven Rae

Man smashed digger into home of brother's ex-lover with victim and son inside

A man drove a digger into the home of his brother's ex-lover, causing almost £30,000 worth of damage, while the victim and her son sat inside the house.

Mark Holmes smashed the huge digger into Paula Brown's home in a revenge attack following a family bust-up. Mrs Brown suffered bruising to her leg after being struck by the JCB.

A court heard Holmes, 56, "completely lost self control" when he stole is son's JCB to carry out the astonishing rampage, reports Wales Online.

Workmen across the road filmed the incident, with Mrs Brown looking on as Holmes drove up the street to ram the vehicle into her property, as well as two cars outside.

Prosecutor James Evans told Newport Crown Court that Holmes caused around £28,000 of damage to the house after he repeatedly crashed into it in Blackwood, South Wales.

Mrs Brown was sitting inside her home with her son when Holmes crashed into her silver Ford Focus and blue Ford Fiesta.

The shocking incident was caught on camera by workmen. (UGC)

Footage shows Holmes holding his phone behind the wheel of the digger as he carries out the attack, appearing calm.

Mr Evans said: "Paula Brown is the ex-partner of the defendant's brother and it seems the relationship had become strained between Mrs Brown and the defendant.

"At 1pm Mrs Brown was sat with her son in the front room of her home. She saw the JCB vehicle enter her street. She saw it drive into her Ford Focus outside her sitting room.......There were numerous attempts with the JCB to do damage. He reversed repeatedly."

Mr Evans said: "She saw that it was the defendant driving the vehicle. He raised the digger arm on the vehicle which made contact with her. It damaged the footwear that she was wearing and caused relatively minor injuries. He drove towards her and continued to ram the Ford Fiesta and to ram her home. He became aware the incident was being filmed so he left."

Holmes drove to Blackwood Police Station to confess that he had been drink-driving after taking his son's digger.

Mrs Brown said she struggles to sleep following the terrifying incident outside her property, in a victim statment. She said: "I was scared for mine and my son's life. I thought he was going to kill me."

Holmes, of Penybryn, Caerphilly, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking, damaging property, dangerous driving and drink driving.

He denied assault occasioning actual bodily harm - but admitted the lesser charge of battery.

Defending, Marian Lewis said: "He completely lost his self control and for that he is truly remorseful."

One of Mrs Brown's damaged vehicles. (Jonathan Myers/Wales Online)

Judge Duncan Bould handed Holmes a 16 month sentence suspended for two years. He said: "Whatever resentment you harboured or justifications you gave to yourself in your intoxicated state were not excusable in any way for the behaviour you inflicted on Paula Brown and her property.

"You perhaps now, on sober reflection, can appreciate what you did and how serious the harm caused to her might have been."

The judge said Holmes escaped custody "by a whisker". Holmes must wear an alcohol abstinence monitoring tag for 120 days and carry out 200 hours unpaid work.

He was handed a 10 year restraining order and disqualified from driving for three years before he must take an extended driving test.

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