A Suffolk travel business was subjected to a six-year campaign of violence by a disgruntled former employee, it has been alleged.

During the vendetta against Goldline Travel, which operates a small fleet of coaches and taxis from its premises in Ellough, near Beccles, its vehicles were repeatedly vandalised and on several occasions, taxis were allegedly shot at while picking up and carrying fares, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

On one night alone £40,000 damage was caused to three Goldline coaches while they were parked in Lowestoft. The damage included, smashed windows, slashed tyres, cuts to seats and paint thinner and diesel poured over seats and the floor.

Andrew Thompson, prosecuting, alleged that more than 80 incidents of damage occurred during the vendetta which he claimed started after Goldline boss Ian Trussler fired mechanic Adrian Ling after he was accused of stealing diesel from the company.

Ling, 63, of Woodside, Beccles and Daniel Garrison, 34, of Danforth Drive, Woodbridge, have denied conspiring to commit criminal damage to property belonging to Goldline Travel between December 2012 and November 2019.

Ling has also denied four offences of having an air rifle with intent to commit criminal damage between 2013 and 2019.

The court heard that Ling started working with Goldline in 2008 as a mechanic and was sacked in 2012.

“It is clear that he was very angry about being sacked and it’s the prosecution case that he has harboured a significant personal grudge against Ian Trussler and Goldline and has carried out a sustained vendetta against them,” said Mr Thompson.

He claimed that Ling, who was convicted of stealing diesel from Goldline but subsequently acquitted on appeal, started the vendetta following his dismissal while Garrison allegedly joined the conspiracy in 2016.

The court heard that after keys belonging to Goldline vehicles were stolen from an office at the depot in May 2013 staff found a birthday card allegedly written by Ling containing the message: “Haha. You’re f***** now”.

In October that year Mr Trussler was picking up a coach from another company when he saw Ling who allegedly shouted abuse at him and said: “I’m going to smash your vehicles up till the day you die”.

The court heard that in October 2014 Mr Trussler saw Ling at a supermarket in Beccles and was head butted in the face by him.

Mr Thompson said Ling was subsequently convicted after a trial of battery in relation to the incident.

On several occasions shocked Goldline taxi drivers reported windows in their vehicles shattering after they were allegedly shot at while they were driving in the Beccles area.

One woman driver allegedly felt something hit her under her armpit which stung after she heard a loud bang and the front passenger window of her taxi smashed 

The trial, which is expected to last five weeks, continues on Tuesday (August 29).