‘Professional car thief’ stole Mercedes car from forecourt of dealership
A PROFESSIONAL car thief with more than 100 previous offences to his name has been jailed after whipping a near-£7,000 Mercedes from the forecourt of a Derby dealership.
Matthew Barker helped himself to the keys of the vehicle when he entered the showroom of Car Quay at Stenson Marina.
The 46-year-old then handed them to an accomplice who was waiting around the corner. That second man has never been caught, but the defendant, who had not long been released from his last custodial sentence for stealing cars, was.
Now he is back behind bars and even muttered “******* hell” over the video link when he was also banned from driving for 25 months.
Jailing Barker for 25 months, Judge Jonathan Bennett said: “You could really be described as a professional car thief. You are a complete menace when it comes to other people’s vehicles. You were on licence for conspiracy to steal cars when you committed this.
“You travelled to the Derby area, an absolutely horrendous criminal record.”
Lauren Butts, prosecuting, said the offence took place at the Stenson Road dealership on November 2. Barker had previously bought a BMW from there and called Car Quay on October 4 to says its engine had blown and he wanted it replaced. The firm agreed and gave him another vehicle while it was being repaired, but he called them to say that also had a problem.
Miss Butts said: “On November 2 he bought that car back and while staff were looking at it he was captured on CCTV walking into the showroom and taking two sets of keys from the box where they were kept. He then walked out and approached a second man who was around the corner pacing up and down. He was seen to hand that man something and then gesture to him towards a silver Mercedes.”
Miss Butts said car was then driven off by the second man and has never been recovered.
Barker, of Murray Close, Broughton Astley, near Leicester,
was arrested on November 15 and answered “no comment” to the questions he was asked. In court, he pleaded guilty to one count of theft.
Miss Butts said the defendant had 36 convictions for 107 offences of which 61 were for theft or similar. She said many were for his involvement in stealing vehicles.
Steve Gosnell, mitigating, said since his client was released from his last jail sentence, he had been working as an HGV driver, delivering goods to supermarkets and hospitals during the pandemic.
He said: “He was also commended for his bravery at the scene of a road traffic collision involving two men in their 20s where he did what he could to save them.”