Trucker who rammed lorry into girlfriend's house jailed for 10 years

A lorry driver who admitted deliberately ramming his HGV into his girlfriend's home while two children were inside has been jailed for 10 years.

Derek Wellington, 34, flew into a drunken rage after Sara Cassidy refused to meet him.

He reversed twice into the house in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, causing seven homes to be evacuated and two to be destroyed.

The bill for the damage was £475,000.

Wellington was on bail at the time after a previous incident where he attacked Ms Cassidy at a hotel in Edinburgh.

• 'Lorry rage' trucker admits ramming HGV into house

He had been told to stay away from the 33-year-old after headbutting her, dragging her and pinning her against a wall.

Wellington, of Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, appeared by video link for sentence at the High Court in Stirling.

Derek Wellington had been ordered to stay away from his partner after attacking her

He had previously pleaded guilty at the High Court in Glasgow to a string of charges including culpable and reckless endangerment of lives.

He was told by judge Lord Armstrong that as a result of his actions, Ms Cassidy had lost the home she had lived in for five years, and its entire contents worth £25,000.

Lord Armstrong said that "taking into account the grave consequences" of Wellington's criminal actions, the number of people affected, the impact on their lives, and the financial loss, he was satisfied there was no appropriate alternative to a custodial sentence.

The court had heard how, despite the previous banning order, the couple had resumed contact before the ramming incident.

Wellington repeatedly called Ms Cassidy on 6 September last year and flew into a rage when she would not meet him.

He had screamed down the phone to her: "I am going to park my lorry in your living room."

Ms Cassidy's home the morning after the attack

Ms Cassidy tried to calm Wellington by agreeing to meet him on the street nearby but panicked when she saw him in his truck at about 23:00.

Prosecutor Lisa Gillespie QC told the court: "She was terrified because of his earlier threats and ran back to her house.

"As she did, she heard a loud banging noise and windows smashing.

"Wellington then drove past her again away from the street."

Ms Cassidy then broke down and became hysterical when she found her housing association home "caved in".

The lorry was discovered in a supermarket car park the morning after the attack, damaged and with bricks from the house nearby

A friend who had been inside at the time had spotted Wellington pull up, straighten his lorry and then reverse "at speed" into the property.

Wellington repeated the manoeuvre before escaping.

The friend raced to grab the two children and took them outside. The court heard that all were unharmed.

One witness described sounds akin to an "earthquake" as Wellington repeatedly reversed his HGV into Ms Cassidy's house, completely wrecking the property.

The court had heard occupants of seven houses had to be evacuated that night.

Those in four of the properties were later able to return, but the damage to Miss Cassidy's home and a next-door neighbour's was so bad that the houses had to be demolished.

The other house needed repair work before it was safe.

Clyde Valley Housing Association ended up with a bill totalling £475,000 due to damage and loss of rental income.