Owner escapes jail after wrecking pub with JCB

A FARMER and businessman who repeatedly smashed a JCB into his own historic pub escaped jail yesterday.

Robert Tyrrell, 46, went on the rampage when a barman refused to serve him a drink on New Year’s Day at the North Star pub in Steventon, Oxfordshire.

Tyrrell, who pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to damaging property, being reckless whether life would be endangered, was sentenced to do 200 hours’ community service and to pay costs and compensation totalling more than £3,000 at Oxford Crown Court.

None of the 16 people in the pub at the time, including Tyrrell’s own son, a recovering heroin addict, was injured. Damage estimated at at least £60,000 was done to the Grade Two listed inn.

Tyrrell, of The Green, Steventon, bought the pub, thought to date from the 14th or 15th century, for £126,000. But the licence was held by another man, Ian Crayford, and the pub was managed by Peter Allday.

The court heard Tyrell entered the pub at 1.30am on New Year’s Day and asked Allday for a drink. Mr Allday refused, saying he had stopped serving at 1am. A furious Tyrrell then shouted: “I am the f***ing property owner. If I can’t get a drink, tell Ian not to open the doors in the morning because I will flatten this f***ing building.”