SHOCKING video has emerged of a councilor being dragged by the hair and lifted by the belt by a raging airport owner.
Chris Makin, 65, was ordered to pay £8,000 for assaulting Andrew Mason, 63, who said he feared he might be killed in the attack. Footage showed Andrew sitting on a road in front of a tree-cutting cherry-picker before Makin grabbed him by the hair and attempted to drag him from the vehicle's path.
Andrew managed to break free from Makin's grip and shouted "get off me" as Chris pulled the councilor along the ground by the leg - then by the arm and then by the belt - but could not move him.
Makin retreated and appeared to urge the operator of the vehicle to "move it forward" to where Andrew was on the road. When the vehicle did not move forward, Makin approached Andrew once again and pushed him as Andrew said: "Get off me, you ignorant man. Get away from me."
"The police are on the way, you lunatic."
The video ended with Andrew still seated on the ground in front of the vehicle, leaning his back against a tire.
Harrogate Magistrates Court heard on Thursday that Andrew had been walking to the village shop in Church Fenton, North Yorkshire for a volunteering shift on April 4 when he spotted Makin and some contractors working on trees on the boundary of Leeds East Airport.
Andrew was said to have been concerned that there were birds nesting in the trees, and told Makin he did not have consent to fell the trees or close the road.
The councilor "protested" the illegal tree felling by positioning himself in front of the cherry-picker.