A KEIGHLEY man who hit the headlines last year after a heroic display of bravery – where he stopped a man in Liverpool who was rampaging on a digger – has welcomed news of the man’s jail sentence.

Garry Boocock, a lift contractor, pulled one man out of the way of a digger which had been hijacked by John Manley, before managing to disable the machine, along with another man, before it could cause any more havoc outside a Liverpool Travelodge.

Manley, a labourer from Merseyside, smashed up the entrance of the Travelodge following a dispute over unpaid wages.

Dramatic footage from the January 2019 incident shows Garry, 39, dragging a site manager out of the way, before then stopping the digger in its tracks.

Now Manley, 36, has been sentenced to five years and four months in prison for damaging property and being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

Garry, who plays rugby for Keighley Albion, said he was satisfied with the verdict, which was handed down at Liverpool Crown Court.

“I got a phone call from court, as I could have been called as a witness, to let me know that John Manley had been sentenced," he said.

“I don’t think they’ve gone easy on him and I think they’ve given a good and appropriate sentence for what he did, as he endangered other people’s lives.

“He’s been locked up since it happened, over 12 months ago, so you can see that it’s been taken seriously.

“It wasn’t just a case of criminal damage, which can carry a significant sentence itself, but also endangering people’s lives.

“I’m happy that it’s been taken seriously, and I think it’s a fair conviction. Five years and four months is a fair sentence, in my opinion.”

Following the incident, Garry, who lost an eye when he fell out of a tree as an 11-year-old, had his vision impaired by the diesel from the digger and had to be treated at Airedale Hospital, after getting back home to Keighley from Liverpool.

Videos of the incident, which caused damage to the hotel worth more than £443,000, went viral online after it happened.

Sentencing Manley, Judge David Aubrey QC said: “You were intent on maximum damage and you intended to leave a trail of destruction.”

The judge accepted Manley, who was reported to have an emotionally unstable personality disorder, had a number of issues in his life.

He said: “This grievance, or perceived grievance, in consequence of the fact you had not been paid your wages, may well have been the catalyst which led you on this day to erupt like a volcano.”