A man once branded by a judge as a “human wrecking ball” has been released from prison after just three months of a sentence for wrecking his neighbour’s home in a savage boundary dispute. Mark Coates, 57, tore the tiles and chimney pots off his own £450,000 home in Robertsbridge, near Hastings, East Sussex, before moving next door to destroy the roof of his neighbours’ property in a shocking act of revenge over a garden fence disagreement which had simmered for seven years.
The rampage, in June 2024, which caused more than £200,000 in damage, led to Coates being sentenced at Lewes Crown Court in March 2025. Imposing a jail term of four years and four months sentence, Judge Recorder Ben Williams KC described the incident as a “clear revenge attack” and said Coates “fell on the houses like a human wrecking ball,” leaving the victims traumatised. Yet Coates was freed early under the Government’s controversial early release scheme, introduced last year to ease overcrowding in prisons. This decision has left victims David Greenwood, 70, and Janice Turner, 66, devastated and fearful.
Mr Greenwood, a mechanic, slammed the early release, telling MailOnline: “This wasn’t some piffling sentence for shoplifting. This was a serious crime which wrecked our home in an attempt to totally destroy our lives. It’s a disgrace he has been freed. We live in fear of what he might do during the day, even though he is under a night curfew.”
The bitter dispute began when a fence panel between their gardens fell down, sparking years of legal battles that culminated in the High Court. Coates was found in contempt and ordered to pay nearly half a million pounds in legal fees and damages, forcing him to sell his home.
Just days before handing over his house keys, Coates launched his destructive spree. Police footage shows him armed with a hammer, methodically smashing the roofs of both homes. Ms Turner described how Coates threw roof debris towards her garden: “I was standing by my greenhouse and debris flew past my face. He completely removed the best part of the roof at the rear of my property.”
After a tense two-hour standoff, Coates was arrested and taken into custody. During the incident, he told officers: “I’ve had this house stolen off me by a judge and corrupt police. I’ll cause as much damage as I can to devalue the house.”
Despite the criminal conviction, Coates continues to insist he will fight the case, accusing officials of corruption. Now released, he lives only a few miles from Mr Greenwood and Mr Turner, who say they “have lost all faith” in the British justice system.
Greenwood criticised the early release scheme as “a move that favours criminals over their victims and completely undermines the authority of UK courts.”
He questioned the point of prosecutions if offenders are freed after serving just a fraction of their sentences, adding: “We just want to live without fear.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “Offenders released on Home Detention Curfew are subject to strict conditions and will be sent back to prison if they break the rules.”
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