Dumped and 'distorted' brute ploughed Merc into ex's garden then 'laid into' her dad with brick

Anthony Tye narrowly missed two people standing in the garden
Anthony Tye narrowly missed two people standing in the garden -Credit:Cleveland Police


A spurned ex who beat up his former partner before veering his new Mercedes straight into her garden at her mum and a visitor, told police his 'stupid f****** animal' of a car was to blame.

Anthony Tye, 35, was originally charged with attempted murder after the woman and a nurse - who had come to treat Tye's ex-partner - had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit by the vehicle as it came straight at them, as they stood near the front steps of the house.

The charges were dropped after Tye admitted attempted grievous bodily harm with intent.

On Monday, Teesside Crown Court heard that after Tye's girlfriend ended their relationship, he drove to her parents' home in Stockton, with two other women. All three got out of the car, and one of the women, who has never been identified, began attacking Tye's former girlfriend.

Tye climbed up onto his ex's car roof and began smashing her windscreen and jumping up and down on the car. He then climbed down and punched his ex, and kicked her in the ribs, as the second woman joined in with the assault. Tye stole his victim's mobile phone before the three drove off - on the afternoon of August 22, 2023.

Nick Dry, prosecuting, told the court that his ex-partner was so badly affected by the attack, that she requested help for her mental health. The next day, while two nurses were at her home on Tithe Barn Road in Hardwick, Stockton, Tye ploughed his car into her front garden.

Tye turned up at the house and asked to see his ex-girlfriend, but her parents told him to, "go away." Mr Dry said that Tye's former partner's mum was standing in the front garden, moments later, talking to one of the nurses, "when they both heard a loud revving of an engine fast approaching.

"The defendant's vehicle knocked over a lamp post before ploughing across neighbours' gardens and into his ex-partner's garden." His ex's mother and the nurse had to jump out of the way.

Tye ploughed his Mercedes into his ex-partner's garden on Tithe Barn Road in Hardwick, Stockton
Tye stood on the roof and bonnet of his ex-partner's car, jumping up and down and smashing windows

Tye emerged from his white Mercedes and hurled a brick through the living room window before attacking his ex-partner's dad with another brick. Mr Dry said that the man "had come outside to defend his family" and he was left with a swollen jaw, and two broken fingers.

Seconds later, a second car drove up to the house and picked Tye up. Days later, he was arrested by police after they were called out to a report of violence at Roseberry Park Hospital in Middlesbrough. He punched the police officer as he was handcuffed.

Tye refused to answer police questions, but said he had paid £25,000 for his Mercedes two days earlier, and that his "stupid f****** animal" of a car was to blame. "He said his car was stupid and dangerous," Mr Dry told the court, "and that he'd been 'off his face' for a month or so. He said he had taken hundreds of Zopiclone tablets on the day of the crash."

Tye pleaded guilty to:

  • attempted grievous bodily harm with intent;

  • assault occasioning actual bodily harm;

  • criminal damage;

  • assaulting an emergency worker;

  • assault

  • theft.

He has previous convictions for drug driving, wounding and being drunk and disorderly.

The two women who attacked Tye's former girlfriend have never been traced. Tye's former partner and her family did not give the police statements about what happened to support the prosecution.

Jonathan Walker, mitigating, told the court that Tye had sent messages "intending to take his own life in a car crash" on the day he drove towards his former partner's home. "The defendant's mind had turned to self-destruction," Mr Walker said. "His first port of call was Roseberry Park. It was luck alone that he did not cause more serious harm to those he aimed for. His primary aim was to kill himself."

Tye listened on video link from HMP Durham, as Judge Jonathan Carroll told him: "Your former partner had made it clear that the relationship was over, and you were not willing to accept that. As the report from probation makes clear, you are full of anger, entitlement and you have distorted attitudes. This was made worse by your underlying psychiatric state and by your appalling abuse of drugs. On these two days, you focused all of your anger on your former partner, her family, and the public servants who had come to help her.

"You drove your vehicle at considerable speed, smashing your way into the gardens of your ex-partner's family and her neighbours. You lay into her father with a brick."

The judge handed Tye an extended sentence, after telling him that he "poses a serious risk of harm to the general public."

Tye, of of Ridsdale Avenue, in Stockton, was handed a 10-year sentence, comprising of seven-years-six-months in custody; and two-years-six-months on licence in the community, after he is released.