A man torched two caravans and rammed several vehicles in a spree triggered by his eviction from a caravan park, a court was told.
Lee Garbett had been visiting the site at a Moorlands beauty spot for two decades and saw it as his ‘sanctuary’, Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard.
However following an argument, the 57-year-old was asked to leave.
It culminated in a chain of events on September 4 last year, while he was suffering from the effects of taking benzodiazepine, Stoke on Trent Live reports.
At around 9am, Garbett went round to confront the site’s manager at Beeston Tor Farm, in Grindon. He said: “You better tell your mate his caravan is on fire.”
The manager could see ‘large plumes of smoke’. Prosecutor Geoff Whelan said: “They were 100ft in the air. He went down to the site and saw two caravans on fire.”
One belonged to Garbett himself. The other belonged to someone else, who had left it secured before going out. He returned to find it completely burnt out.
Another vehicle suffered blistering from the fire heat and an awning was also damaged.
All in all, Garbett, of Wallbridge Precinct, Leek, had caused £8,901 worth of damage. But his reckless behaviour didn’t stop there. He drove off in his Lexus 6 and headed to his hometown.
A motorist driving along Newcastle Street, in Leek, clocked the vehicle in his mirror. Garbett was driving erratically and mounting the pavement.
Mr Whelan said: “There was then a huge bump to the rear of the man’s vehicle, which caused him to lunge forward.
“He put his hazard lights on and proceeded to the other driver, who had his window down. He could tell the driver was, in his words, ‘hammered’ and ‘all over the place’.”
Garbett sped off and encountered another car, a Citroen C2, near the monument. The female driver suddenly felt her vehicle ‘jolt forwards’.
“She got out and couldn’t see any damage. She saw the defendant behind her. He said, ‘I’m sorry about that. I’m just trying to ruin as many lives as I can before I commit suicide’.”
While the woman was out of her car, Garbett rammed the Citroen into the middle of the road, leaving it stranded between four sets of traffic lights. A passing member of the public steered it to safety.
