A man was caught up in a long-running feud with another male apparently involving a £10,000 prison bounty for anyone willing to inflict violence, a court has heard. Christian Leigh targeted the family of the man he was feuding with first by taking part in a mob attack on a car belonging to his partner and then by deliberately ramming a car carrying the man's sister and mother.
Sending the father-of-three to prison a judge said whatever the background between the two men the defendant's behaviour on public streets had been "disgraceful". He also said Leigh had a "lamentable" record for driving offences and said unless he mended his ways he would end up killing someone on the roads.
Sol Hartley, prosecuting, told Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court that the first incident happened on the night of May 23 this year in Merthyr when a convoy of three vehicles arrived at the house of the partner of the man with whom the defendant was "feuding". A group of men alighted from the vehicles armed with poles and swords and proceeded to smash up the man's partner's car. Though Leigh was not one of those who attacked the car he was driving one of the vehicles in the convoy. The attackers then got back into their cars and drove away.
READ MORE:Delivery driver's jaw broken and dislocated in 'senseless' street attack
READ MORE: Speeding driver used criminal 'Nip farm' to frame innocent motorist
The court heard the second incident happened two days later when Leigh, who was at the wheel of a stolen vehicle, deliberately rammed a car containing the other man's sister and mother as it drove down a residential street in Merthyr. The mum suffered a cut to her face in the crash. The 31-year-old defendant then reversed away at speed, narrowly avoiding two parked cars as he did so, and made off. The stolen car was found abandoned later that same day.
The prosecutor said the "feud" between Leigh and the man whose family he had targeted seemed to involve a person in prison who had placed a "value" of £10,000 for causing injury to the man. In statements from the man's partner, sister, and mother which were read to the court they described the fear and anxiety caused by the incidents. They said their were concerned about what the defendant and "the people who work for him" may do and said they were petrified of what Leigh was capable of.
Christian Leigh, of Penderyn Close, Ynysfach, Merthyr Tydfil, had previously pleaded guilty to criminal damage and dangerous driving when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has 14 previous convictions for 24 offences including dangerous driving, robbery, possession of drugs, public order matters, and multiple counts of driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.
Richard Ace, for Leigh, said there was "clearly an issue" between the defendant and the other male but said talk of "values being placed on people's heads" in prison was speculation. He said there had been a five-year gap since his client's last conviction and he said the father-of-three had the offer of managerial work with a holiday company upon his eventual release from custody.
Judge Jeremy Jenkins said whatever the background between the two men Leigh's behaviour in May this year had been "disgraceful". He said though the defendant had not taken part in actual attack on the car on May 23 he had driven people to the location for what was a "planned attack" and was aware of what was going to happen. He said Leigh was "equally as responsible as those who wielded the swords, who wielded the bars". The judge said two days later Leigh had then deliberately driven into and rammed a car driving down a residential street in what "must have been a terrifying piece of dangerous driving". Judge Jenkins told the defendant he had a "lamentable driving record" and was a "disaster waiting to happen" and said if he did not mend his ways he would end up killing someone.
With a 10% discount for his guilty pleas, which were entered on the day of trial, the defendant was sentenced to 23 months in prison comprising 21 months in prison for dangerous driving and two months for criminal damage to run consecutively. Leigh will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. He was also made the subject of a restraining order prohibiting him from contacting the victims in the case for the next five years. The defendant was disqualified from driving for three years and the ban was extended by an additional 11 months to account for the length of tie he will be behind bars.
Check the latest crime statistics for your area:
