Arson gang rammed Range Rover into rival's home

Members of a gang who carried out arson attacks on a rival's home twice in three days, the second time by ramming a Range Rover into the building, have been jailed.

Five men from County Durham were involved in planning and launching the raids in early 2025 at a mixed home and business linked to John Henry Sayers in Byker, Newcastle, the city's crown court heard.

Prosecutors said it was part of a "gang feud", although lawyers for the arsonists said they were on the "bottom rung" of any organised crime group.

The five men, who admitted offences linked to arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered, were jailed for between four and almost six years.

At about 11:45 GMT on 31 January, a Vauxhall Astra driven by Grant Royal stopped outside the property on Fossway with two men, Grant Curley and Walter Patterson, getting out and setting Mr Sayers' VW Golf on fire, prosecutor Richard Herrmann said.

The trio had earlier been seen on CCTV filling up their car and a canister of petrol at a fuel station on the outskirts of Durham, where Curley also bought a pair of gloves, the court heard.

After setting the car on fire, Royal drove the men away but the damage was limited as a member of public called 999 and firefighters were quickly on the scene.

At about 19:30 on 2 February, Curley reversed a black Range Rover into the building, having to do it twice as the car rolled forward after he forgot to put the handbrake on, Mr Herrmann said.

Patterson then set the vehicle alight but as he attempted to flee he was caught by people from the premises, the court heard, with police later finding him "very badly injured" nearby.

Curley escaped in a van driven by Royal in convoy with the Range Rover, the court heard.

More serious damage to the building was avoided after Mr Sayers leaned into the burning Range Rover and released the handbrake, causing it to roll into the road, Mr Herrmann said.

Before, after and throughout the attacks, the arsonists were in regular contact with John Reid and Mitchell Smith, both of whom drove to Tyneside at about the same time the arsons were carried out, the court heard.

Mr Herrmann said there had been a "significant degree of planning" by the men with a "recce" carried out of the target and vehicles moved around in advance in preparation for the attacks.

The prosecutor said it "must have been gang feud-type offending" and multiple people were endangered.

In mitigation, the men said they did not know the targets and were enlisted by others to carry out the attacks, with some claiming they were paying off drugs debts.

Michael Forrest, representing Smith, said the five were the "bottom rung of any enterprise or type of organised criminal group".

The men's lawyers said they had not meant to put any life in danger as they had not realised people were living in the building.

All but Patterson, whose lawyer described him as being used like a "pawn", had multiple previous convictions, with Royal having some 162 offences on his record, while Reid, who had 46 offences on his record, had previously been jailed for crimes including robbery and fraud.

The men and their sentences were:

• Mitchell Gary Lewis Smith, 26, of Elemore Lane, Easington Lane, jailed for five years for four months for conspiracy to commit arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered
• Grant Curley, 35, of Luke Crescent, Murton, jailed for four years and nine months for two counts of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered
• John Reid, 46, of Jubilee Crescent, Sherburn Hill, jailed for five and a half years for conspiracy to commit arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered
• Grant Royal, 49, of Bedfordshire Drive, Durham, jailed for five years and nine months for conspiracy to commit arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered and two counts of driving while disqualified
• Walter Robert Patterson, 38, of Jubilee Crescent, Sherburn Hill, jailed for four years for two counts of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered

Judge Gavin Doig said Mr Sayers had a "public profile" and his life had been put in danger.

"However, this case is not about who you targeted," the judge said, adding none of the men would receive a "single day more" or less in prison because of who the attack was against.

Judge Doig said the men all played a part in the planning and execution of two arson attacks on the streets of Newcastle, and were "reckless as to whether the life of John Henry Sayers would be endangered".

Royal was also banned from driving for six years and nine months.

Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.