Grieving nephew jailed for 'misguided' revenge attack on innocent grandfather's home

Luke Scorer smashed windows and then the front door of 55-year-old Kenneth Allen's house then launched a ferocious attack with a spade that caused serious injuries and left the whole family in fear.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the 29-year-old attacker wrongly believed a relative of the Allen family was involvedin or responsible for his uncle Gary Wood's death in a hit-and-run in 2017.

Prosecutor Joe Hedworth told the court: "They were simply related to someone who Luke Scorer wrongly believed was involved or responsible for the death of his uncle.

"The Allen family, in particular the complainant Kenneth Allen, were wholly innocent victims."

Mr Hedworth told the court the Allen family were asleep in their home in Houghton when Scorer turned up outside,shouting and then smashed a window in July last year.

Mr Hedworth added: "He was waving a spade around in the air.

"He then repeatedly struck the front door with the spade.

"Kenneth Allen was understandably petrified, not only for his own safety but more importantly, as far as he was concerned, for the safety of his family.

"He watched in disbelief as more windows in his home were smashed from the outside by Luke Scorer.

"Luke Scorer then turned his attention back to the front door, which he repeatedly struck with the spade, and the door eventually burst open."

The court heard Scorer immediately attacked Mr Allen's head with the spade and the violence spilled outside.

Mr Allen, who runs a boxing club in Sunderland and is heavily involved in charity work, used his hands and arms to protect his head during the violence.

The court heard Scorer's dad Richard Scorer turned up at the house with the attack was underway and warned Mr Allen: "It's not finished this."

Mr Allen suffered serious fractures to his forearm and hand and had wounds to his head.

He said in a victim impact statement "I can't stop worrying in case they come back" and said he couldn't understand why he was targeted.

Mr Hedworth added: "The Crown's case is this was a completely unprovoked attack".

Mr Hedworth said the father "simply inflamed the situation" rather than getting his son away.Luke Scorer, of Mount Pleasant, Hougton, admitted causing grievous bodily harm and has been jailed for a total of 35 months.

His father Richard Scorer, 50, of John Street, Houghton, who admitted affray, was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment, suspended for two years with 150 hours unpaid work.Mr Recorder Geoffrey Pritchard said: "This was a terrifying, entirely unprovoked, sustained attack on Mr Allen, which was terrifying for him and his family."

David Lamb, defending, said Luke Scorer is a hard working family man, of previous good character, who had been drinking that day at a BBQ.

Mr Lamb added: "The defendant held a mistaken belief, not doubt because of his state of intoxication, that in some way someone in the house in question was in some way, erroneously, obviously, involved in the death.

"He is clearly wrong about that, he is clearly misguided and should not have gone around there, armed with a spade or not."

Andrew Walker, defending Richard Scorer, said the construction worker, who is a dad and grandad, was injured himself in the trouble that night and had arrived at the house when the attack was already underway.