A brave man who stopped a dad causing further damage to a Travelodge with a digger has spoken out about the jail sentence he was given.
John Manley was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday for damaging property being reckless as to whether life is endangered.
He was jailed for five years and four months.
The 36-year-old drove a hydraulic digger through the front doors of the Travelodge in Liverpool Innovation Park on January 21 last year, the day the building was due to be completed.
Videos of the incident, which caused damage to the hotel worth more than £443,000, went viral online and showed colleagues asking Manley to stop as he shouted: "All you had to do was pay me."
Two colleagues eventually managed to disconnect the fuel line to the vehicle, leaving one of them temporarily blinded after diesel sprayed into his face.
Garry Boocock was one of the men who heroically pulled a person out of the way before disabling the machine with one of his colleagues.
Speaking to Telegraph and Argus , Garry said: "I got a phone call from court this morning, as I could have been called as a witness, to let me know that John Manley had been sentenced.
"I don’t think they’ve gone easy on him and I think they’ve given a good and appropriate sentence for what he did, as he endangered other people’s lives.
"He’s been locked up since it happened, over 12 months ago, so you can see that it's been taken seriously.
“It wasn’t just a case of criminal damage, which can carry a significant sentence itself, but also endangering people’s lives.
“I’m happy that it’s been taken seriously, and I think it’s a fair conviction. Five years and four months is a fair sentence, in my opinion.”
Manley, of St Aidan's Way in Netherton, was also disqualified from driving for four years and one month.
