Ex-pal burgled in camper van revenge attack

10:00pm Thursday 4th December 2008

A JUDGE has put off passing sentence on an ex-con who burgled a former friend’s flat in retaliation for him slashing the tyres on his camper van.

John Webb smashed his way into Patrick Reed’s home to get back at him after the attack on his vehicle.

And the 50-year-old then threatened to have his old pal beaten up if he did not drop the charges against him.

But after ruling the case unusual, and not a normal burglary, the judge decided to defer sentence until the end of February to give Webb a chance to start a community order for other offences.

Rosie Walsh, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court that Webb broke into Mr Reed’s top floor flat in Marney Road, Grange Park, on Monday, February 25.

She said neighbours saw a man approaching the block of flats with a piece of wood and then heard banging from upstairs. Webb smashed his way through the front door and took a number of electrical items, DVDs, toiletries and some jewellery, she said.

Miss Walsh said Webb was arrested later that day in his camper van and all of the property, apart from some gold jewellery worth about £2,500, was recovered.

A few days later he called Mr Reed and threatened to get some members of the travelling community to beat him up if he did not get the burglary charge dropped.

Webb, of Bourne Lake Caravan Park, Cricklade, pleaded guilty to burglary and witness intimidation.

He had initially pleaded not guilty to both counts but changed his plea on the morning of trial before a jury could be sworn in.

Miss Walsh told the court that at a previous hearing it had been alleged they lived together at Weston-super-Mare, which the complainant denied. She also said that the victim had allowed Webb to stay at his property for the night on a couple of occasions.

But she added: “Mr Reed accepted to me on the last occasion that he had slashed Mr Webb’s tyres in reaction to action taken against him.”

Mike Pulsford, defending, insisted his client had put up the victim at his caravan in Weston-super-Mare and they had served time in prison together.

“I said last time it was Leyhill,” Mr Pulsford said.

“Mr Reed’s solicitor wrote to me to say he had never been in Leyhill. I took instruction and it was Erlestoke.”

He told the court that his client was on a community order for criminal damage, driving while disqualified and drink driving from the same day. Webb was caught, he said, when he ran out of petrol after the break-in and in anger smashed the windscreen of his van.

Judge William Hart deferred sentence to Friday, February 20, telling him if he did well on his community order he would not jail him.