1:07pm Wednesday 27th August 2008
By Court reporter
A drug addict who hijacked luxury cars in supermarket car parks to feed his habit has been jailed for six years.
Joe Wegener, 24, of Churton Place, Chiswick, and accomplice Gary Grey, of Bryomy Road, Shepherds Bush, who was sentenced to five years, beat a man as they tried to steal his Jaguar from Asda car park in Alperton, Barnet, last October.
They then knocked a man to the ground and stole his £30,000 Mercedes.
Three weeks later at Ealing’s Sainsbury’s car park one of them, with a third unknown man, stole a BMW as the owner unlocked it.
At Isleworth Crown Court on Friday, Wegener and Grey admitted one charge of attempted robbery of a Jaguar belonging to Eamonn Wells and one of robbery of a Mercedes from Adil Al-Nahas at Asda on October 9 last year.
Wegener further admitted burgling a Hammersmith flat of computer equipment worth more than £11,000 in September, assaulting Mr Wells and robbing Dirk Hazell of a BMW at Sainsbury’s on November 1.
Their counsel said the offences, although serious, were “opportunistic” and motivated by the defendants addiction to hard drugs.
Jailing them, Judge Sam Katkhuda said people had the right to park their cars in public places without being subjected to violence and having the cars taken from them.
He said: “It is the duty of the courts to do what they can to impose fitting punishments on people who use violence. You grabbed Mr Wells from behind with the intention of taking his Jaguar. He managed to shake you off and call the police.
“Soon afterwards you attacked Mr Al-Nahas, knocking him to the ground, demanding his keys and punching him in the face.
“You waited until Mr Hazell unlocked his BMW and told him you had knives and he handed over his keys.”
© Copyright 2001-2010 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk