A disgruntled garage customer who stole a 24-tonne bulldozer and embarked on a destructive rampage across Wolverhampton has been sentenced to 18 months in prison. Darren Coffey, 41, wept in the dock as the sentence was handed down at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
Coffey, under the influence of drugs and alcohol, took the £385,000 Caterpillar rolling machine from his employer on November 8 last year. Over nearly three hours, from 5:30pm to 8:15pm, he caused chaos across the city, resulting in at least £8,000 worth of damage.
The rampage only ended after he smashed into a Royal Mail lorry that police had commandeered to block his path. Coffey admitted to dangerous driving, failing to stop, driving without a licence or insurance, threatening to damage property, two counts of criminal damage, drink driving, and aggravated vehicle taking with damage.
The court heard that Coffey had been in a dispute with Willenhall Autos over a vehicle he owned and had threatened to burn down the garage and 'smash it up'. After stealing the bulldozer from the Staffordshire border, he called police, stating he was 'heading there with two petrol cans'. He drove the machine along the A454, including Wolverhampton's ring road, Willenhall Road, and New Road in Willenhall town centre.
Judge David Perry noted that a jail sentence was 'unavoidable', stating: 'He caused untold chaos to road users. He reversed into oncoming traffic, and at one stage reversed into police cars - and on the wrong side of the carriageway.' The judge described how police authorised blocking the bulldozer with a Royal Mail trailer, which Coffey pushed out of the way, causing £2,508 in repairs. The machine itself required £680 in repairs, bringing total damage to just over £8,000.
The father-of-four had a history of cocaine and cannabis abuse, with previous convictions for drink driving, criminal damage, and motoring offences, though he had not been in trouble since 2015. His defence lawyer, Ryan Hodgins, cited a history of post-traumatic stress disorder and efforts to address drug issues, but the judge declined to suspend the sentence.
Coffey, who moved to the UK from Ireland 17 years ago, must serve at least 40% of his 18-month term before being released on licence, followed by 12 months of supervision. He was also banned from driving for three years and nine months and must pass an extended test before driving again.
