In an update to an article BTU published on July 1, Derek Wellington, 34, a Scottish lorry driver who literally put his truck into his estranged girlfriend’s house, has received a sentence of 10 years from the High Court in Stirling, Scotland. Judge Lord Iain Armstrong handed down the sentence early Wednesday, July 27.
“He wishes he could turn back the clock”
Back on September 6, 2021, Wellington fell into a drunken rage when his estranged girlfriend, Ms. Cassidy, her last name withheld for privacy, refused to meet with him that evening. He screamed at her, saying “I’m going to park my lorry inside your house,” and did just that.
The neighbors described it as an “earthquake” when Wellington repeatedly backed his lorry at speed into the apartment building. The force was so great it rotated the building slightly off its foundation.
The destruction left a £475,000 (more than $572,000) repair bill with both Cassidy and a neighbor losing their homes. A friend and two children who were inside at the time escaped unhurt.
Wellington, of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, appeared by video link for sentencing at the High Court in Stirling after pleading guilty in Glasgow earlier this month to a string of charges including culpable and reckless endangerment of lives.
Consequences for your actions
He was told by Lord Armstrong that as a result of his actions, Cassidy had lost the home she had lived in for five years, and its entire £25,000 in contents.
Lord Armstrong said that “taking into account the grave consequences” of Wellington’s criminal actions, the number of people affected, the impact on their lives, and the financial loss, he was satisfied there was no appropriate alternative to a jail sentence. The court heard that Wellington had 24 previous convictions, including several for assault and threatening behavior.
Wellington said in his statement that “he wishes he could turn back the clock” and had handled the situation differently. Solicitor-advocate Iain Paterson, defending Wellington, said his client was “remorseful” and had genuinely believed that there was no one in the house at the time.
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