Darren Coffey, 38, stole the Caterpillar bulldozer from his employer on November 8 last year, according to reports. He drove the vehicle through the city between 5.30pm and 8.15pm, causing over £8,000 in damage. During the rampage, he smashed into a Royal Mail lorry that police had commandeered as a roadblock. Senior officers authorized blocking the route with the trailer, but Coffey pushed it out of the way. It remains unclear if anyone was injured or how he was eventually apprehended.
Coffey was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time, the court heard. He had a dispute with Willenhall Autos over a vehicle and threatened to burn it down and 'smash it up' before the incident. After stealing the bulldozer, he called police saying he was 'heading there with two petrol cans'. He admitted to charges including dangerous driving, aggravated vehicle taking, drink driving, driving without a licence or insurance, failing to stop, criminal damage, and others.
Sentencing Coffey at Wolverhampton Crown Court, Judge David Perry said a custodial sentence was unavoidable. He described Coffey causing 'untold chaos' to road users, noting that Coffey reversed into oncoming traffic, collided with police vehicles, and drove on the wrong side of the carriageway. 'The machine itself needed £680 worth of repairs and the total damage was just over £8,000,' the judge said. 'You represent a risk, and because of the seriousness of that risk, only immediate custody is justified.' Coffey sobbed in the dock as the sentence was passed.