'My home is my castle': Farmer who flipped car on his land in parking row is cleared

4 February 2022, 16:57 | Updated: 4 February 2022, 18:32

A farmer who used a forklift to flip a car blocking his driveway has walked free from court after saying "my home is my castle, and my castle starts at that front gate".

Fourth-generation hill farmer Robert Hooper, 57, argued in court that an Englishman's home is his castle, and he had been assaulted before he used his tractor to remove the Vauxhall Corsa last June.

Mr Hooper told the court: "I felt threatened and an Englishman's home is his castle, and my castle starts at that front gate."

Mobile phone footage showed how he used a telehandler with forks to lift the £16,000 car from the lane outside his farm in Newbiggin-in-Teesdale, County Durham.

He can be seen flipping it and pushing it on to its side on the road outside.

Shirtless passenger Charlie Burns, 21, who had been visiting the area that day and had drunk up to seven bottles of lager, was knocked to the floor by the vehicle's lifting forks.

The jury at Durham Crown Court cleared Mr Hooper after a four-day trial.

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Mr Hooper had told the jury he was punched by Mr Burns when he first politely asked the men to leave as they were blocking access on what was a busy day on the farm.

He told the court he was aware of an "influx" of youths visiting the area that summer, causing anti-social behaviour, littering and damaging walls.

The farmer claimed the younger man punched him twice in the farm buggy he was driving, bursting his lip.

Mr Hooper told the court: "I thought it is time to get out of there, and I said 'If you don't move it, I will'.

"My mind was racing.

"I thought we have a bit of a problem here, there's two of them, half my age, I didn't know what they had in terms of weapons, or what they were capable of doing.

"I thought if the car was off the property, that would be them off the property, out of the way."

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Mr Hooper said he was defending his property and himself.

He said: "I felt threatened and an Englishman's home is his castle, and my castle starts at that front gate."

In his closing speech to the jury, Michael Rawlinson, defending, gave the origin of the saying, referring back to the judge Sir Edward Coke's comments which set legal precedents in 1604.

Referring to arguments about how Mr Hooper could have acted differently that day, Mr Rawlinson also quoted the boxer Mike Tyson, saying: "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth."

Mr Burns had been drinking with friends at Low Force waterfall, and having consumed up to seven bottles of lager he was intending to walk 52 miles back to South Tyneside.

He told the jury he spotted his friend Elliott Johnson whose Corsa had suffered a double puncture, which was why they parked on the farmer's lane.

In his closing remarks, David Ward, prosecuting, told the jury the Crown was not saying Mr Hooper was a "thug", but that his actions were "utterly irrational" on the day.

Judge Ray Singh had outlined routes to verdict for the jury, explaining the law surrounding self-defence and a defendant protecting himself and his property.