CCTV footage has captured the moment John Henry Sayers and his son allegedly attacked an arsonist after a car was rammed into their family home and set ablaze. The incident occurred on February 2, 2023, at Lou's Diner, beneath Sayers' residence on Fossway in Byker, Newcastle.
Attack Details
The footage shows a Range Rover being reversed twice into the front of the diner. The driver fled, while the front passenger, Walter Patterson, remained. Sayers, 62, and his son John Henry Sayers Jr., 29, emerged from a side door armed with a machete and a long iron bar, respectively. Patterson then set the Range Rover on fire, and the two defendants allegedly attacked him with their weapons.
According to prosecutor Matthew Bean KC, the arson was part of a campaign by a violent crime gang known as "the Freemans" targeting the Sayers family. Sayers had previously received an Osman warning, indicating his life was in danger.
Court Proceedings
During his opening address at the Old Bailey in London, Bean described the sequence of events: John Sayers Sr. struck Patterson at least twice with the machete before pausing to move the burning vehicle away from his home. His son continued to strike Patterson repeatedly as he lay on the ground. Both defendants then chased Patterson down the road, still holding their weapons.
Both men deny causing grievous bodily harm with intent. The trial is ongoing.
