Two men are on trial accused of blackmailing a garage owner until he was forced to close his business.
Michael Tyers and Billy Nugent threatened the businessman, scaring him to the point where he shut up shop, it is alleged.
The garage boss was told his business would be burned down and he would be maimed or killed, Teesside Crown Court heard.
Prosecutor Paul Newcombe told a jury: “They are charged with hounding a man out of business.
“They stole some property from him. He called the police on them.
“When they found out, they started making threats against him.
“They made demands for money against him.
“Effectively they ground this man down. They terrified him.
“They made him believe the threats were real and at the end of it he shut his business up, never to return again, believing the threats to be genuine.
He alleged the pair stole a £600 battery wrench from the Teesside garage in a joint “distraction theft” on November 14 last year.
They returned after the garage boss called the police, says the Crown.
Mr Newcombe said they jumped from a van with fists clenched, Tyers shouting: “Don’t threaten us with the police.
“I will burn your garage down. I know where you live.
“We want £500 by the end of the day.”
The Crown says the blackmail was a joint effort by both men, with Tyers the “mouth”.
Mr Newcombe told the jury the men left the garage but Tyers called the owner 15 minutes later reducing his money demand to £200.
He said the alleged victim was so frightened he handed over the £200 and lied to police, saying the wrench theft had been sorted out.
Two days later, Tyers called again demanding another £200 in half an hour or “we’re coming down there with a few lads, we will kill you stone dead”, added the prosecutor.
When the proprietor said he could not afford it, he was told “you’d better pay the £200 or you will get done in”, the court was told.
The two pulled up again in the van on November 18 with Tyers demanding £200 again, said Mr Newcombe.
It is alleged Tyers said: “I don’t want your money now. I’m coming back in half an hour to maim you.”
Mr Newcombe added: “So terrified was (the complainant) by all of this build-up of threats and demands that he just closed his business and shut up shop.”
Nugent, 23, of Mount Pleasant Grange, Stockton, and Tyers, 27, of Moortown Road, Middlesbrough, both deny theft and two counts of blackmail.
Tyers denies one more blackmail charge.
When interviewed by police, Tyers denied ever going to the garage or making any phone calls.
He then changed his account, saying he had been to the garage but did not behave in the way alleged.
Nugent said he went to the garage to fix a puncture but denied making any threats.
Proceeding
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