An oil worker who caused £25,000 worth of damage to a man’s house after first trying to run him over with his car before slamming the motor “full throttle” into the front of the property was today jailed for almost two years.
James McDonnell turned up at James Jackson’s house in Dundee while Mr Jackson was celebrating his twin daughters’ 15th birthday.
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McDonnell was looking for another man in the house – with Mr Jackson trying to get McDonnell away from his home.
That resulted in a bizarre confrontation between the pair in the street – with the pair squaring up while brandishing crutches at each other.
McDonnell then got behind the wheel of a Vauxhall Vectra car and first tried to run over Mr Jackson – driving at him at speed with Mr Jackson throwing himself out of the way before running inside and locking the door.
Fiscal depute Eilidh Robertson told Dundee Sheriff Court that McDonnell then repeatedly drove at “full throttle” into his victim’s car in the driveway of his house.
That forced Mr Jackson’s car to smash into the front of his house – causing the whole house to shake and leaving a crack up the outside of it.
Miss Robertson said there was £16,000 worth of structural damage to the property as well as £6,000 of damage to property and belongings inside the house.
A sheriff today told McDonnell it was “only chance” he hadn’t seriously injured someone.
Miss Robertson told the court that McDonnell – who has a string of previous convictions for assault, driving offences, theft and possessing an offensive weapon – carried out the attack shortly after Mr Jackson and his family had returned from a celebratory dinner at a nearby restaurant.
She said: “The accused’s brother – who is a friend of the Jackson family – went to the house and said he was having a problem with the accused.
“They later heard loud banging on the door and the accused demanded to see his brother and said ‘Pete get out here – you’re dead’.
“Mr Jackson went to the door and the accused tried to push past him.
“They had an argument on the driveway and both brandished crutches that had been brought out from the house.
“The accused then got in a car and reversed to face Mr Jackson about 25 feet from him.
“He accelerated at speed towards Mr Jackson but didn’t strike him and hit a fence.
“The accused then reversed back and repeatedly drove at full throttle in to Mr Jackson’s car pushing it back to the extent that it crashed in to the Jackson home, causing it to shake.
“There was extensive damage to the car and house.”
McDonnell, 37, of Findale Street, Dundee, pleaded guilty on indictment to charges of behaving in a threatening and abusive manner and assault commited on December 11 2016 at an address in Inveresk Gardens, Dundee.
Defence solicitor David Duncan said: “This situation could have been dealt with differently.”
Sheriff Simon Collins QC jailed the father-of-two for 22 months.
He said: “You went round to his house looking for a fight and assaulted him even though he wasn’t the principal target of your anger.
“Then you used the car to cause serious damage to his car and house.
“It is only chance that serious injury was not caused to him or other occupants of the house.”
