Keighley hero welcomes sentencing of man who went on digger rampage

Garry Boocock, a lift contractor, pulled one man out of the way of a digger which had been hijacked by John Manley, before managing to disable the machine, along with another man, before it could cause any more havoc outside a Liverpool Travelodge.

Manley, a labourer from Merseyside, smashed up the entrance of the Travelodge following a dispute over unpaid wages.

Dramatic footage from the January 2019 incident shows Garry, 39, dragging a site manager out of the way, before then stopping the digger in its tracks.

Yesterday, Manley, 36, was sentenced to five years and four months in prison for damaging property and being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

Man jailed after rampage with digger

Garry, who plays rugby for Keighley Albion, said he was satisfied with the verdict, which was handed down at Liverpool Crown Court.

"I got a phone call from court this morning, as I could have been called as a witness, to let me know that John Manley had been sentenced.

"I don’t think they’ve gone easy on him and I think they’ve given a good and appropriate sentence for what he did, as he endangered other people’s lives.

"He’s been locked up since it happened, over 12 months ago, so you can see that it's been taken seriously.

“It wasn’t just a case of criminal damage, which can carry a significant sentence itself, but also endangering people’s lives.

“I’m happy that it’s been taken seriously, and I think it’s a fair conviction. 5 years and 4 months is a fair sentence, in my opinion.”

Following the incident, Garry, who lost an eye when he fell out of a tree as an 11-year-old, had his vision impaired by the diesel from the digger and had to be treated at Airedale Hospital, after getting back home to Keighley from Liverpool.

Videos of the incident, which caused damage to the hotel worth more than £443,000, went viral online after it happened.