TWO Middlewich men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal vehicles as part of a gang feud in Staffordshire after a near two year investigation.

Ian Lloyd, 31, from Long Lane, was jailed for 16 months, suspended for 2 years. Whilst Nathan Ward, 28, of Cledford Lane, is to be sentenced today after pleading guilty.

The two men were part of a gang of six that smashed into a family home in a stolen 32-tonne truck, with further vehicles operating in convoy with the HGV.



The attack was led by Patrick Maughan, 37, of St Helens, who used the stolen HGV to smash into the house seven times. Police investigations later found the stolen skip loader was abandoned minutes later, and was subject to forensic examination.

The attack in Goldenhill, Stoke-on-Trent left no one injured but caused thousands of pounds of damage on October 12, 2015.

The court heard the victims, a family of 5, were specifically targeted as part on an ongoing feud within the travelling community.

Detective Sergeant Adrian Webb, who led the investigation, said: “This attack was extensively and carefully planned to intimidate a local family.

“It was sheer luck that no one was injured when the lorry damaged the house. This attack not only targeted the intended victims but put other local residents at risk.”

Detailed analysis work around a number of mobile phones, alongside studying CCTV footage from around the country, helped to build a picture which linked the defendants to several events which ultimately led to the incident in 2015.

Overall, five people have been given sentences, with the sixth, Nathan Ward, the final defendant to be sentenced after his guilty plea.