A 28-year-old man has been jailed for more than seven years after stealing a tractor and driving it into a house in Middlesbrough, in an incident prosecutors said followed the desecration of his father’s and brother’s graves.

Nathan Blagg was sentenced at Teesside Crown Court to seven years and two months in prison, followed by two years on extended licence. He was also banned from driving for seven years.

The court heard that Blagg stole a Massey Ferguson tractor from a farm near Kirklevington, North Yorkshire, late on May 8. He then drove the tractor about nine miles before crashing it into a three-bedroom terraced house on Priory Road in Middlesbrough.

The property was linked to Luke Lancaster, with whom Blagg had been involved in an ongoing feud. The house was empty at the time of the crash, while the family who had previously lived there had already moved out after a series of earlier attacks.

Blagg’s barrister, Rod Hunt, told the court that his client had seen distressing footage posted on social media by Lancaster. The footage allegedly showed Lancaster urinating on the graves of Blagg’s father and brother and kicking over a gravestone.

Judge Recorder Paul Reid acknowledged that Blagg had been provoked by the alleged desecration, but said the tractor attack was an extremely serious act because of the scale of the damage, the planning involved and the danger created.

The court heard that the house effectively had to be rebuilt following the crash. The tractor required about £56,000 in repairs, while the attached hay baler, valued at around £30,000, was written off.

The woman who had lived in the property for 24 years described the impact of the incident in a victim impact statement. She said she was afraid to tell people where she now lived because she feared that she and her family could be violently attacked.

Blagg admitted aggravated vehicle taking and criminal damage while reckless as to whether life was endangered.

Cleveland Police Detective Chief Inspector Dan Cook said stealing a tractor and driving it at high speed before ramming it into a house demonstrated the seriousness of Blagg’s actions.

He said the force of the collision caused significant structural damage and created a danger to neighbouring properties, forcing occupants to evacuate for their safety.

Blagg also admitted affray relating to an earlier confrontation with Lancaster in Middlesbrough town centre. Prosecutor Jamie Wilson said Lancaster had driven his car into Blagg outside Probation Service offices during the April 21 incident, throwing him over the bonnet.

Blagg later told police that any violence during the confrontation had been carried out in self-defence.

Five days after the tractor attack, Blagg was involved in another vehicle offence. He admitted aggravated vehicle taking after stealing a Jaguar and driving it at speed into a lamp-post.

The impact caused the Jaguar to spin 180 degrees and sent the street light about 20 metres down the road. Blagg and a passenger were seriously injured, but the court heard that he attempted to drive the wrecked vehicle away while paramedics were attending.

Blagg was already disqualified from driving when he stole and drove both the tractor and the Jaguar.

The court heard that Lancaster has also been jailed for his role in the earlier violence involving Blagg.

SOURCE: The Telegraph, September 25, 2026.