Family feud led to men fighting in Peterborough street near school

Two men have been brought to justice for their parts in a family feud which took place in a residential street at school drop off time.

School staff called 999 at roughly 9am on 22 November, 2023, to report people fighting and armed with weapons in Whittington, Parnwell, Peterborough.

Whittington is a dead end residential street near to the Lime Academy Primary School, and the 999 call was made during the school’s morning drop off time.

999 calls made at 9am

It was reported that two parents were involved in a dispute, people had been chased in a vehicle as they were trying to fight, weapons were being used, and a vehicle had been crashed into a house and had been used to try to hit someone.

The initial 999 call was followed by multiple other calls from concerned members of the public, but everyone had left the scene by the time police arrived.

Damaged cars were recovered, including a Honda Jazz and a Renault panel van which were left in the street insecure with their windows smashed. Parked on one driveway was a black Mercedes Benz estate, also with smashed windows.

Enquiries revealed the disorder stemmed from a feud between two families and CCTV captured Richard Bastow, 40, getting out of a Vauxhall Zafira with others to confront Swaley Price, 29, who was in a silver van.

Price got out of his van and became confrontational with a woman Bastow was with. Bastow brandished a metal pole towards Price and then got in Price’s van, using it to drive towards him and trapping him against a fence.

Price managed to move out of the way but Bastow continued to use the van as a weapon – driving towards him two more times before smashing into a house.

Bastow then left the van but was attacked by Price with a baseball bat and repeatedly struck while on the ground.

After a while all those involved left the area including Bastow, who returned to his home in Freston, Peterborough.

Bastow claimed he couldn’t remember what happened

Paramedics then called police to report that Bastow was bleeding and injured at his house. He was named by witnesses as being involved in the dispute and arrested after being taken to hospital as a precaution.

In interview Bastow told police he wasn’t responsible for the offences. He claimed he moved the man’s van out of the way to ‘stop it being used as a weapon’ and he feared for his own life after a man he didn’t know rammed the car he was in and started an argument.

After being played CCTV footage of the disorder, Bastow claimed he didn’t remember what had happened and stated that his intention was not to cause any serious harm.

Bastow said he understood his actions were frightening for members of the public who watched what happened unfold and apologised, saying that it shouldn’t have happened – especially near a school.

He mentioned that after he watched the footage he felt sick, but stated again that he was scared for his life, so everything he did was in self-defence.

As a result of the feud and being attacked with a metal pole by the other man, Bastow was left with a fractured skull and memory loss. He had three bleeds on the brain and is now partially deaf in his right ear. Price, of Bonehams Lane, Gilmorton, Lutterworth, Leicestershire, was not seriously injured.

Both men plead guilty

Both men were charged in relation to the offences. Price admitted grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent and Bastow admitted affray and aggravated vehicle taking.

The pair were sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court on Friday (11 April) where Bastow was sentenced to three years in prison and disqualified from driving for 13 years and three months.

Price was handed 15 months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and complete a 30-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.

“I can only imagine what school staff and parents thought of witnessing this dispute, in broad daylight and at morning school drop off – it was no doubt very frightening."

Detective Sergeant Rebecca Welberry said: “The behaviour displayed in this family feud was noted by the sentencing judge as ‘appalling offending’.

“Bastow claimed he moved the car to stop it from being used as a weapon, but in reality that’s exactly what he went on to do. Price then attacked him with a baseball bat, causing him serious injury.

“I can only imagine what school staff and parents thought of witnessing this dispute, in broad daylight and at morning school drop off – it was no doubt very frightening.

“This was evident as well in the number of 999 calls we received about what was happening. I am pleased both men have been brought to justice for their actions and I hope this case also highlights that we do not take this kind of behaviour lightly.”