A man who smashed up a Liverpool hotel has been jailed for over five years.
John Manley caused £443,000 worth of damage to Travelodge’s Edge Lane site last January using a digger in a dispute over unpaid wages.
The Innovation Park hotel’s main entrance and reception area were both vandalised in the incident, which went viral on social media at the time.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that the extent of Manley’s rampage, described as a ‘trail of destruction’, delayed the opening of the Travelodge by six weeks.
His defence lawyer Mark Sharman claimed that the delay in paying the 36-year-old around £600 of money owed drove him to the reckless act.
“His position was that he had insufficient funds to provide electricity at his home or at that time to buy food,” said Mr Sharman.
“Uppermost in his mind was the effect that had on his ability to accommodate his children in terms of his contact with them.”
But Judge David Aubrey sentenced Manley to five years and four months behind bars for causing ‘destruction in the extreme’ to the property.
He said: “You embarked on a vendetta, an extremely dangerous act in my judgement of revenge, upon your employers and the building itself, which was nearing completion.
“You were intent on maximum damage and you intended to leave a trail of destruction.
“The safety of all those inside and indeed outside was put at risk. You were told to stop, you did not, such was your determination.”
The Netherton resident, who was treated in hospital for mental health issues following his arrest, has also been banned from driving for four years.