Trucker confessed to deliberately driving his HGV into the home of his girlfriend while his two children were inside.
Derek Wellington reversed two times into the East Kilbride house, South Lanarkshire. This caused seven homes to be evacuated, and two to be destroyed.
The damage bill came in at PS475,000
Wellington pleaded guilty to several charges, including reckless and culpable conduct that put lives at risk.
After an attack on Sara Cassidy in a hotel in Edinburgh, the 34-year old was released on bail.
After headbutting the 33-year old, dragging her along and pinning him against a wall, he was ordered to get away.
However, despite the court order the couple continued contact. He called her repeatedly on the 6th of September, last year, when he was involved in a lorry rage accident.
After Ms Cassidy refused to have him meet, Wellington was reportedly intoxicated and had fled to Glasgow.
He screamed at her, “I am going park my lorry inside your living room.”
Later, she was walking along the street next to her Lancaster Crescent home when her partner drove past.
Lisa Gillespie, QC, the prosecutor, told the court that Lisa had told him not to go to the house because of the children.
“He said he was coming around any way.”
Ms. Cassidy attempted to calm Wellington by agreeing that he would meet her on the street near her, but she panicked when he appeared in his truck around 23:00.
Miss Gillespie stated that she was afraid because of his threats earlier and ran to her home.
“She heard loud banging and windows breaking as she was about to do so.
“Wellington drove by her again, away from the street.”
Ms. Cassidy broke down, became panicky and lost her temper when she discovered that her housing association home was “caved-in”.
A friend, who was inside at the time, saw Wellington pull up and straighten his truck before he reversed “at speed” into the property.
Wellington, originally from Kilmarnock in Ayrshire repeated the maneuver before fleeing.
The friend ran to grab the children and took them outside. All were safe, according to the court.
One witness described the sound as a “earthquake”, when Wellington repeatedly reversed his HGV to Ms Cassidy’s house, causing complete destruction.
Ms. Cassidy was talking to Wellington when police arrived. She was heard threatening to “come back to finish it” as he threatened to.
He said, “I told you that I was going to ram this into your home.”
The truck, still carrying woodchips, was abandoned in a supermarket parking lot the next morning. Wellington’s wallet was inside.
Court heard that seven houses were evacuated on the night.
Four of the four properties were eventually reopened, but Miss Cassidy’s house and that of a neighbor next door were so damaged that they had to be torn down.
Before it could be considered safe, the other house had to be repaired.
Clyde Valley Housing Association was hit with a total of PS475,000 for damage to its rental income.
Wellington also pleaded guilty to assaulting Ms Cassidy at Edinburgh, breaching bail and threatening behaviour, as well as spitting at a officer.
He was taken into custody and will be sentenced next year.
